argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Social Care — House of Commons, 2020-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): The shadow Minister is shaking her head; I know that there is more to do At times this has been a heated debate, but I heard on both sides truly constructive suggestions for how we can solve our social care challenges. That gives me much hope for cross-party consensus. I heard suggestions from my hon. Friends the Members for Newton Abbot (Anne Marie Morris) and for Meon Valley (Mrs Drummond), my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashford, the hon. Member for Leicester West (Liz Kendall) and my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Huw Merriman), whom I thank for his kind words welcoming me to my job. He set the bar high for me to meet I am fully aware of the challenges that face our care system and I have no illusions as to the scale of the challenge facing us. In the next 10 years, we expect the number of people over 75 to go up by 1.5 million, and the number of people under 65 with care needs is growing, too. We have a system that is under pressure and the demands are only going to grow.
Social Care — House of Commons, 2020-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): What I would like to emphasise in response to the hon. Lady’s point is the importance of our recognising, valuing and making sure that social care is an attractive career. In that way, those who are already working in social care will continue to work in social care. It will be for us to build the workforce that we need for the future.
Social Care — House of Commons, 2020-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I am conscious of time, so I must now come to my conclusion We all bring our experiences to our work, and, as I conclude this debate, I want to mention one of mine. When my grandmother was 100 years old, she was admitted to hospital and she stayed there for five months. She was signed off as ready to leave numerous times, but each time the failure to find a care package delayed her discharge, during which time she would acquire an infection, further delaying her discharge. She was eventually discharged, but only in time for her to die—thankfully, peacefully at home. This is a cycle with which too many people are familiar, and it means that our hospitals are looking after people who would be better off at home As I have said, I am under no illusions about the challenges that we face in social care. The problem that I have just described is nothing new, but let us be the generation that solves it. That is a commitment that we as a Government have made. We will fix the crisis in social care. We will deliver the funding that is needed now to stabilise the system. We will find a long-term solution to the growing need for care and seek to build a cross-party consensus on this. We are committed to the view that the prerequisite of that solution is that no one needing care will have to sell their home to pay for that care We will not be supporting the Opposition’s motion tonight, but where I think we can all agree is on the importance and the urgency of reform of social care. As we bring forward those plans, I look forward to working with colleagues from all parts of this House. Just as we had a consensus in the 1940s on the NHS, the time has now come for a new consensus on social care. Let us be the generation that works together and makes our care system work for all those who so badly need it Question put (Standing Order No. 31(2)), That the original words stand part of the question.
Bus Services — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): Our £220 million better deal for bus users includes measures to improve bus services in rural and urban areas. This is together with the new £5 billion fund for overhauling bus and cycle links throughout the country.
Bus Services — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Richard John Holden (Conservative, Centre-right): Towns such as Crook, Willington and Burnopfield in my constituency are starved of late evening and weekend bus services. What plans will the Government bring forward in the next few months to enable those areas to have better services?
Bus Services — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): As I mentioned, there is not only the £220 million fund, but the £5 billion fund, which will enable us to bring forward a comprehensive package of measures, which I hope will significantly boost Durham County Council’s current £347,000 towards the bus service operators grant.
Bus Services — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituents tell me that very often buses come late or do not turn up at all. As we look to invest more in buses, what are we going to do to make sure that the companies delivering the services are doing a decent job for our residents?
Bus Services — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right: it is really important to make these bus services work in a manner where people can just rely on them and where they do not even have to look at a timetable because the frequency is there. As part of doing that, we will be opening up bus open data powers, which will ensure that that information is transferred and available to people at bus stops and in their apps, enabling a much more frequent service to run.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman would probably like to know that 98p of every £1 paid in fares goes back into the railways, which allows investment in all the areas where he would like to see it, including accessibility for his constituents.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure the hon. Lady will look forward, as I do, to the issuing of the Williams review, which answers some of the questions she raised, but she should be careful what she wishes for because, today, using a single fare—£7, I believe it is—to go from London to Coventry, a host of Conservative Members are going to campaign in her hyper-marginal seat, at very good value for money.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a fair question. The answer is that Richard George, the head of the operator of last resort, is working closely with the unions and will continue to do so, because the workforce is all important to the delivery of a reliable service for passengers.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his correspondence and the way that he has engaged with my Department over this issue. He has been representing his constituents on this matter very well. As he knows, a request for a proposal has been issued to the south-west franchise owners, FirstGroup and MTR, and to the operator of last resort. Parliament will be kept informed of those developments. It is all about trying to improve the service for the hon. Gentleman’s constituents.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely get where the hon. Gentleman is coming from, but he should understand that taxpayers already subsidise the rail network by more than £4 billion a year, meaning that 54% of our transport budget is spent on the 2% of journeys that the railways account for. He mentions Germany, which has cut rail fares, but to do that Germany cut the VAT on rail fares from 19% to 7%; he might like to know that we charge no VAT on rail fares in this country.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Karl McCartney (Conservative, Centre-right): I note that the questions that my honourable and hairy friend has answered so far were about reducing the cost of rail fares, but that implies that either more people must make more journeys by rail, or taxpayers generally, such as those in Lincoln, must subsidise the rail industry more. Which would my hon. Friend prefer? Does he have any plans to improve the franchise process to make bidding for them more attractive to businesses?
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Robert Largan (Conservative, Centre-right): It is important to have affordable rail fares so that residents can access our railways, but many of my constituents do not have any access to trains at all because they do not have a local train station. The people of Gamesley were promised a railway station more than 50 years ago, but it has still not been delivered. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the bid for Gamesley train station?
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
David Gordon Mundell (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State is already aware of how unhappy my constituents who use Lockerbie station are—after fare increases, they have seen an appalling level of service from TransPennine. TransPennine has now made certain commitments to improve the service; what can the Department do to ensure that it meets those commitments?
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State and I met the TransPennine leadership not so long ago to put the very points that my right hon. Friend has just made. As he knows, there has been quite a big change at the head of that franchise. We are working with the new management to ensure that the new trains operate correctly and that the service his constituents would like is actually delivered for them.
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Timothy Paul Loughton (Conservative, Centre-right): While rail fares remain too high, the cost of disruption to our commuters when services go wrong, as is so often the case with Southern, is considerable. Although Delay Repay has been helpful, it does not reflect the true cost of taxis, hotels and loss of work that our constituents have been suffering. Can the Minister tell us whether the new ombudsman is going to tackle the issue and make sure that we have a compensation scheme that accurately reflects the costs that our commuters and constituents suffer?
Rail Fares — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): It is absolutely true that there are huge numbers of delays and cancellations on our railway on a daily basis. That completely disrupts people going to work and kids going to school, and it also affects students and people just socialising. Different plans are being mooted. The Williams review will have a fuller plan, on which I will be able to communicate with my hon. Friend.
Bus Links — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): The bus market outside London is deregulated, with service provision being a matter for bus operators and local authorities. We are, however, providing £5 billion of new funding to overhaul buses and cycling across the country.
Bus Links — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Craig Paul Tracey (Conservative, Centre-right): The reality in predominantly rural North Warwickshire is that I can get to London quicker by train than it takes for me to travel by bus from outside my house to my constituency office just 6 miles away. The situation makes it really difficult for people to get to hospital appointments, to work, to school and, as I found out last week, to Jobcentre Plus appointments. What can we do to reinvigorate transport across North Warwickshire and Bedworth so that my constituents can access the fantastic opportunities that this Government are keen to deliver as part of their levelling-up agenda?
Bus Links — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand my hon. Friend’s frustration. I am pleased to say that the Government have launched two schemes that are relevant to North Warwickshire. The first is a call for an expression of interest in a £20 million rural mobility fund to support innovative solutions to transport problems in rural areas, and the second is the allocation of £30 million to every local authority in England to support new bus services or replace lost services.
Covid-19: Public Transport — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend was absolutely right last week to raise the issue of the so-called ghost flights; I think he was the first person to raise the matter in this House. I have since written both to the slots allocator in this country, Airport Coordination Limited, and to the European Commission, which has indicated that it will alleviate those slots to stop empty flights flying. My hon. Friend is also right about the pressure that the airlines are under, and we are doing further work with the Civil Aviation Authority and the EU, particularly over EU regulation 261. I would be very happy to meet him to discuss the matter.
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I will gladly back that campaign. Everyone recognises that buses could and should be doing a lot more. I recognise that we have lost services over a period of time. Buses are still the chosen form of transport for 50% of travel, so it is important that we get this right. Even going back as far as 2017, we were passing legislation to ensure that franchises can work in conjunction with local authorities, and those processes are going into place. We want to see the London standard of bus service everywhere in the country.
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): I am surprised that the figure 5 with "billion" after it did not answer the hon. Gentleman’s question. We are not just paying lip service; we are doing it. What he does not seem to understand about building roads is that buses run on them.
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): Of the £250 million in direct revenue support for bus operators, just £43 million goes to local councils outside London. We are going to need a lot more than that if we are going to reinstate local bus services in rural areas, aren’t we?
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and that is where the £5 billion national bus strategy, which we will be publishing shortly, comes in. Our aim is quite simply to get to a London standard of service throughout the country, including in rural areas and his constituency.
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right. I can assure her that that is exactly the process that we will be following in developing the national bus strategy, and I would be more than happy to work with her and incorporate her ideas. We can argue about the past, but it sounds to me that we both want to see bus services that are excellent for all our constituents, so I completely agree with her.
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Griffith (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Secretary of State agree that, to get more people on the buses, we need to make them cleaner and greener? In that vein, what is the Secretary of State doing to promote the use of hydrogen?
Bus Patronage — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We want buses that are cleaner and greener. We want them to be the right temperature—air-conditioned in summer, and warm in winter—with 5G plug-in points for phones. And we want to have electric buses—4,000 of them, with this new money. These new buses can be electric or, indeed, hydrogen powered, like the buses being developed by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland. We warmly welcome all such developments. My hon. Friend can be reassured that we are working closely with bus operators to develop new British buses.
Airport Expansion: Paris Climate Change Agreement — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): The Court of Appeal judgment on the airports national policy statement is complex, and we will set out our next steps in due course. This Government remain supportive of airport expansion, but we will permit it only within our environmental obligations.
Airport Expansion: Paris Climate Change Agreement — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Environment
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have already outlined, the Government are, and remain, supportive of airport expansion where we are able to deliver it within our environmental obligations. I must point out to the hon. Lady that the Court did not conclude that airport expansion is incompatible with climate change. As I have already outlined, we are reviewing this complex judgment and will lay out our next steps soon.
Airport Expansion: Paris Climate Change Agreement — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Environment
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): I can understand the concerns that many hon. Members may have around the Government’s next steps. That is why we have outlined that it is currently an ongoing legal process. We have said that we will review the judgment, which is complex, and set out our next steps. As I have already outlined, the Court did not judge that the airport expansion is incompatible with climate change. But we will obviously update the House as soon as possible on any future steps that we will be prepared to take.
Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Energy
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): As the Chancellor announced yesterday, the Government are providing an additional £500 million over the next five years to support the roll-out of a fast charging network for electric vehicles, ensuring that drivers will never be further than 30 miles from a rapid charging station.
Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Energy
Adam Afriyie (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that answer. I commend the Government on the progress that has been made on charging infrastructure over the last decade, from dozens to hundreds and now thousands of charging points; that challenge is being well met. My concern is that, even with the current grants, the purchase price of electric vehicles is still out of reach for most people on lower incomes. Does she agree that, if we are to see more electric vehicle use in the years to come, the purchase price of electric vehicles is equally as important as the availability of charging infrastructure?
Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Energy
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his remarks about the Government’s support. It is right that the Government are committed to supporting the up-front cost of an electric vehicle. That is why I am pleased that, at yesterday’s Budget, a further £532 million of funding was announced to keep the plug-in vehicle grant for another three years. He will know that those with fully electric cars will pay no company car tax this year, and vehicle excise duty for all electric vehicles in all price brackets has been abolished.
Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Environment
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): I wonder whether the Minister could help me with the next vehicle I should buy. I used to drive a petrol car, then Dave persuaded us all to go green, so I bought a biofuel car, which was destroying the planet, so they said, "Buy a diesel car because it emits less CO2," so I bought a diesel car, and now I am poisoning people. An electric vehicle might be the solution, though it might be terrible because of the batteries, but I live in a flat both here in Westminster and in my constituency, so an electric car is not the answer. Is it a diesel car with AdBlue? Help me!
Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Energy
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I am delighted to assist my hon. Friend. I encourage him to think about purchasing an electric vehicle. The answer is to ensure that there are charging points at his block of flats and across the country. In fact, the Government have doubled the funding available to local authorities to install charging points for electric vehicles on-street, to £10 million. I am sure that that will assist him.
Road Network National Policy Statements: Climate Change Commitments — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Court of Appeal judgment on Heathrow is a very complex issue. Our road policy contains many elements, including a plan for decarbonisation, funding to improve public transport and plans for road improvements. That balanced package is entirely consistent with reaching net zero, which is what the Government are committed to doing.
Noise: Heathrow Airport Flight Paths — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Questions: What plans he has to reduce the number of people affected by aircraft noise living (a) near and (b) under Heathrow airport flight paths.
Kelly Jane Tolhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, and I understand his concerns. Airspace modernisation is intended to reduce the amount of noise per flight for those living under concentrated flight paths. However, there is a risk that they may experience more noise than currently. Whether this is the case will depend on the final routes proposed by airports, including any respite routes, and on the outcomes of consultation with local people, and I expect he will be very vocal at that time.
Rail Services: North of England — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Mark Clarkson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that answer. Does he agree with me that, in addition to national rail projects, light rail projects such as extending the Metrolink to Middleton and Heywood in my constituency form a vital part of levelling up and increasing capacity?
Rail Services: North of England — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: Transportation
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): Under this Government, the Metrolink has been extended to reach new destinations right across Greater Manchester. The most recent extension to the Trafford centre is due to open later this month. While the development of light rail proposals is a matter for the Mayoral combined authority, we will work closely with them. I hope to see the Metrolink extended to my hon. Friend’s constituency. As the Chancellor said yesterday, we are getting investment done.
European Aviation Safety Agency Membership — House of Commons, 2020-03-12
Topic: International Affairs
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): Because the EU said in its statement of negotiating parameters on 15 January that UK participation in EASA is not viable from its perspective. It would not be viable from a UK perspective either, because we would be subject to ECJ rulings in one form or another, and certainly, without any doubt, we would have to accept the European Commission creating the laws under which we would exist— and this country voted for Brexit. However, we will have a bilateral aviation safety agreement—a so-called BASA. We will also have a comprehensive air transport agreement—a so-called CATA—to enable smooth transport to continue.