argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Poverty Reduction: ODA — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Social Welfare
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): I concur absolutely with the hon. Member that all those who serve—now and in years past—have brought a commitment to helping the UK do as much as it can to support poverty reduction. That commitment will continue and those who are making that their life’s work will continue to be part of the FCDO The Prime Minister was clear, as I have been, that any announcement is always brought to Parliament first. The ongoing consultation is now working continuously, and Baroness Sugg is leading that. However, consultation with NGOs was going on before that in relation to all sorts of other issues. That relationship with our NGOs and civil society organisations is something we take very seriously, and we will continue to do so.
Poverty Reduction: ODA — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): DFID it is world renowned for its focus and programme expertise, and that will continue to be the case. Poverty reduction will continue to be a critical focus on how we spend the 0.7% that the Government continue to be committed to. We enshrined it in law and it will stay: the Prime Minister is absolutely committed to that. Interestingly, I think there is a real challenge with the sustainable development goals—there are 17 of them—and the ability to help a country become self-sufficient and climb up that ladder will absolutely continue. We will continue to commit to the 0.7% target, based on GNI.
Supporting Democracies during Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Nigel Adams (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK must never be afraid to stand up for what it believes in. We have seen this with our support for the people of Hong Kong and the introduction of our own Magnitsky-style sanctions regime. That is why our health and economic responses to covid-19 have also included further support for governance, transparency and freedom of speech. Our development work must support countries to stand strong, and that means supporting democracy.
Supporting Democracies during Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister is absolutely right to highlight the challenges for democracies from the pandemic and the opportunities for autocracies. In a year when the UK will be in the chair of the G7, the Commonwealth and COP26, does my hon. Friend agree with me that this is an opportunity for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which I have the honour of chairing, to do more work for the combined Department to promote and strengthen democracies around the world?
Supporting Democracies during Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Nigel Adams (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a great pleasure to answer what will be my last DFID oral question from my hon. Friend. DFID and the FCO are strong supporters of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s work. I thank him for his commitment to democracy via his work as chair of the WFD. In 2019-20, FCO funding of £3.3 million and DFID funding of £3.9 million has been allocated. There will be constraints on ODA over the next few months as we respond to covid-19. Via the integrated review, we will examine all options for enhancing UK democracy support. The merger and the establishment of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office presents an exciting opportunity to strengthen the UK’s support for democracy, governance and open societies.
Global South: Covid-19 Funding — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Wendy Morton (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK has pledged up to £769 million of UK aid to support the global health response and vulnerable countries. As the host of the record-breaking GAVI summit and the world’s top donor to CEPI, the UK is leading the way in finding a vaccine that helps the most vulnerable countries. We have also made sure that new funding goes directly to the immediate response in these countries, and reflects programmes already in place to help people straight away.
Global South: Covid-19 Funding — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Wendy Morton (Conservative, Centre-right): As I explained, the UK is playing a leading role in the international response to the pandemic, with pledges of up to £769 million of UK aid to help to address the urgent needs in vulnerable countries through research and development, through money to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust and in supporting the global health response. We are working with the UN to ensure that our contributions are channelled to NGOs and other recipients as quickly as possible.
FCO Merger — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): Both the merger and the integrated review are evidence of this Government’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our impact around the world, project our values and be a stronger force for good—they go hand in hand.
FCO Merger — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): Baroness Sugg leads in the Department in meeting the CSOs, and there are regular meetings ongoing. The integrated review is working over the summer to pull together the key issues, and development is an absolutely critical strand within that.
FCO Merger — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Government Operations
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): As set out in previous answers, the Prime Minister made the announcement of the new departmental framework to Parliament first, and there are ongoing discussions led by Baroness Sugg and the permanent secretary with the CSOs and the NGOs.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): This Government are committed to standing up for the right of every girl to 12 years of quality education, building on a strong basis of global leadership, including DFID’s education support for at least 5.8 million girls between 2015 and 2019. The new FCDO will deploy our world-class development expertise alongside the UK’s diplomatic skills, respected around the world, to get every girl into school As this is the last oral questions for the Department for International Development, I would like to place on record my thanks, and I know that of the whole House, to all those who serve now and who have served in the Department over the past 23 years. I know that their talent, passion and commitment to help to deliver world-class development programming, policy thinking and humanitarian support to the most vulnerable will be at the heart of the new FCDO and will be critical to its future.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be very happy to meet my right hon. Friend to discuss that. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund exists to do just that and we need to think about how we maximise the use of all our UK efforts to help the most vulnerable, so I look forward to debating with him.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady is aware, we put £150 million into the IMF emergency fund, and the Treasury continues to lead in the Paris Club discussions and with the G20 to ensure that the right solutions are found for the long-term sustainability that those most vulnerable countries will need.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Jacob Young (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for her fantastic work as Secretary of State. What steps are her Department and the new FCDO taking to ensure that UK taxpayers receive value for money for our international aid contributions?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): Ensuring taxpayers’ money is well spent is central to DFID’s work and it is embedded in all our activity and will be at the heart of the new FCDO. Programmes are regularly appraised and monitored to ensure that they are value for money, performing effectively and delivering on manifesto commitments.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Foreign Trade
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): I draw the House’s attention to my former role as chair of the Trade Out of Poverty all-party parliamentary group. The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about the importance of fair trade as well as free trade. Now that the United Kingdom has left the European Union and we are able to define our own trade policy, we will ensure that fairness is at the heart of all the trade that we do around the world.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): The United Kingdom is disappointed about the reduction in aid corridors in Syria. We are pleased that the cross-border humanitarian access will continue through Bab al-Hawa, but we are appalled that Russia exercised its veto and restricted aid through Bab al-Salam. The UK remains committed to supporting Syrians, who are the victims of the egregious politicisation of humanitarian aid, and we recently announced £300 million to the Syrian pledging conference.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK Government welcome Saudi Arabia’s unilateral ceasefire in Yemen, and we are disappointed that the Houthis have not engaged with that ceasefire. The United Kingdom’s arms control regime is one of the most robust in the world, and we will ensure that we continue to support the people of Yemen and NGOs working in Yemen, as we have done with our recent funding announcements.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Education
Matthew Alexander Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Children have a basic human right to education, yet there is huge concern that Palestinian children use textbooks that promote and encourage violence. I welcome the Government’s work pushing for an international review of the curriculum ahead of the new academic year. Will my right hon. Friend provide an update on the progress of the interim report into the content of these textbooks, and will he confirm that the findings will be made public and acted on swiftly?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): The first call that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made when she entered post was to the Education Minister in the Palestinian Authority to register our disquiet over the points that my hon. Friend has raised. We will continue to ensure that Palestinian children are educated with our support through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency—half of them are girls—but we will also ensure that that education does not encourage violence or prejudice against Jewish peoples.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Labor
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge that this country faces. That is why the Chancellor has brought forward a range of measures, which, by the way, the right hon. and learned Gentleman supported last week. They include the job retention bonus and the kick-starter programme for young people. We are also doing a huge amount to support the aviation sector. One of the companies that he mentions, Virgin, has now come out of the Birch process after extremely difficult, but in the end productive conversations. That is the work of this Government: getting on, helping companies through it and helping our people through it. If I may say so, Mr Speaker, the right hon. and learned Gentleman has to work out whether he will support or oppose the Government’s programme to get people back into work. Last week, the shadow Chancellor said here in this House of Commons that she supported our programme. This week, he says that he opposes it. Which is it?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Labor
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): We have been absolutely clear that we want our great companies across the country to support their workers and keep them in employment where they possibly can. I have made that point clear on the Floor of the House just in the past couple of weeks. Let us be absolutely clear: British Airways and many other companies are in severe difficulties at the moment, and we cannot, I am afraid, simply with a magic wand ensure that every single job that was being done before the crisis is retained after the crisis. What we can do—and what we are doing—is encourage companies to keep their workers on with the job retention scheme and the job retention bonus, as well as a massive £600 billion investment programme in this country to build, build, build and create jobs, jobs, jobs. That is what we are doing.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am of course aware of the report and we are of course taking every reasonable step to prepare this country for a second spike. I may say to the right hon. Gentleman that it is up to him, really, to get behind what the Government are doing or not. He has previously supported our plan. He has previously come to this House and said that he supports our measures. He now says, I think, that he does not support them. I think what he needs to do is build up the confidence of the people of this country cautiously to get back to work and cautiously to restart our economy, which is what we are trying to do, instead of endlessly knocking the confidence of the people of this country: knocking their confidence in test and trace, knocking their confidence in the safety of our schools and knocking our confidence in our transport network. Now is the time for him to decide whether he backs the Government or not.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Agriculture
Robert Butler (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituency is home to many farms producing excellent British food. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the new trade deals our Government are working on will safeguard our high food standards and provide fantastic new opportunities to the hardworking farmers in my part of Buckinghamshire?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Agriculture
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I can indeed give my hon. Friend that assurance. We will not only protect high food standards in this country and safeguard animal welfare, but open up new opportunities for farmers in Buckinghamshire and across the UK.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): On the contrary, what we are doing is possibly the biggest single act of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in modern memory. The right hon. Gentleman should be celebrating the 70 or more powers that are going to be transferred to the elected people in Scotland. What he wants, by contrast, is trade barriers between England and Scotland, and nobody being able to use sterling in Stirling. He talks about unelected and unaccountable people, but what he wants to do is hand the powers that we would give back to Scotland from this Parliament to Brussels, which is neither elected nor accountable.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: International Affairs
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): First, I must repeat my point. It is extraordinary for the right hon. Gentleman to attack unelected bureaucrats for any role they may have in Scotland when his proposal is to hand back the powers that this place is going to transfer to Scotland back to Brussels, where they are neither elected nor accountable to the people of Scotland. So I really do not know what he means. As for his point about respecting referendum results, the House will recall that there was a referendum on the issue of Scottish independence and breaking up the Union in 2014. They said at the time that it was going to be a once-in-a-generation event. I think they should keep their promises to the people of this country and to the people of Scotland.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Government Operations
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have told the House several times, I do not believe that now, in the middle of combating the pandemic as we are, is the right moment to devote huge amounts of official time to an inquiry, but of course we will seek to learn the lessons of the pandemic in the future, and certainly we will have an independent inquiry into what happened.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Social Welfare
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I can tell the House that we have already taken steps to support local authorities—through another £3.2 billion to support them, a £600 million contribution to fight infection—and we are incredibly proud of what our social care workers do. What this Government have done, in sharp contrast to the previous Government, is not only introduce a national living wage, but increase it by the biggest ever amount.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that we have done a number of growth deals in Scotland recently and that we intend to do more. The best I think I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that I will write to him with an answer about the Tay cities deal.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Transportation
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative, Centre-right): I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. There is a sense of great celebration in Thanet and east Kent with the positive development consent order for Manston airport, allowing that asset to fly once more, but we have one part of the jigsaw puzzle to solve—Thanet Parkway station. It was deemed desirable before the DCO; it now has to be deemed as essential. Unfortunately, through covid pressures, Kent County Council feels unable to raise the £17 million by a Public Works Loan Board loan to support the final part of the jigsaw. Can my right hon. Friend use the influence of his great office to encourage the Chancellor and Ministers to find that £17 million to complete the regeneration of Thanet and east Kent?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Transportation
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I have good news for my hon. Friend, because the Department for Transport has received a bid for funding Thanet Park railway station. It is going to be assessed in the third round of the new stations fund, and I hope he will hear good news in the near future.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): In addition to the £160 billion of support that the Government have given to people and firms across the country, we have supported areas and cities in lockdown with considerable grants. There was £20 million to Leicester, business rates relief of £44 million and £68 million in spending on business grants. The best thing possible is for areas all to work hard, as Blackburn with Darwen have done, for instance, to get the virus down and to make sure they are able to open up again.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Environment
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I will examine the idea of a scrappage scheme for old and highly polluting aircraft, but I can tell my hon. Friend that long before then, we are putting £3.9 billion into the Aerospace Technology Institute. As I am sure he knows, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has set up, with the Department for Transport, a joint taskforce to create "Jet Zero", a zero-emissions passenger plane in which this country will lead the world.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Government Operations
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, indeed. In Bradford alone, we have allocated £30 million to help deal with the pressures of the virus. As I said to the House just now, I think we have now put in £4.2 billion in support for local councils across the country. I pay tribute to the work of local councils and their services for helping us to get through this pandemic, and we will continue to support them.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics
Katherine Fletcher (Conservative, Centre-right): Out and about talking to the good people of South Ribble, I find that they are worried about the economic effects of covid, although they do also say, "Thank God that other lot didn’t get in, because I can’t imagine how much trouble we’d be in right now." Can the Prime Minister confirm that while there might be tough days ahead, this Conservative Government are throwing the kitchen sink at fixing it?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Government Operations
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, of course we are committing to sharing as much data as we have with councils so that they can get on at a local level, as they have been, dealing with the pandemic. Actually, some of them have been doing an absolutely outstanding job—Kirklees, in particular. We will continue to support councils up and down the land as they engage in local action to make sure that the whole country can start to get back to work.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Environment
Heather Kay Wheeler (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a pleasure to be back, Mr Speaker Toyota Motor Manufacturing, which is based in my constituency of South Derbyshire, is the leading producer of low emission hybrid cars in the UK. Its aim, like the Government’s, is to achieve zero emissions from its vehicles. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me about the importance of recognising and promoting the role that hybrids can play as we move from the vehicles that we have today to zero emission transport going forward?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Labor
Graham Stuart Brady (Conservative, Centre-right): Some people are anxious to return to work and some people find that they are actually as happy and productive at home working as they would be at the office. But does the Prime Minister agree with me that the worst reason for staying at home is to follow blanket Government advice that takes no account of safety? Will he commit to revising that Government advice urgently?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-07-15
Topic: Labor
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): As I am sure my hon. Friend will see from studying the Government advice, we say very clearly that it is important that business should be carried on and that employers should decide, in consultation with their workers, whether it is safe for those workers to come into work or whether they should continue working from home. I happen to think that employers in this country have made huge strides in getting work places safe, and that is the message that we should all be conveying.