argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): If the hon. Gentleman does not mind, I will not, because of the time constraints The Chinese authorities have not yet reached the stage of banning the Yulin festival, but, quite rightly, they are clearly somewhat embarrassed, and in 2011 a similar festival was banned in Zhejiang. We also know that the Chinese are happy to take action on other issues I hoped to make many further points, but I am afraid that I shall not be able to do so. Let me end by saying that, as we all know, dogs guide the blind. Dogs can help to detect cancer. Dogs help trauma patients. Dogs help children with learning disabilities. Dogs are used all over the world—and that includes China—to find victims of earthquakes. Dogs help us in many, many ways. Today’s edition of the Daily Mirror contains a piece about a dog that is part of a canine unit; the quote from the dog handler says it all. What dogs are not for is the barbaric, disgusting, cruel, vicious evil of being put on someone’s plate after being treated in the most horrible ways that the House, in its worst nightmares, could ever imagine.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Agriculture
Steven Mark Ward Reed (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) on securing this debate. I want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) for the work on this issue that he has led for a long time. I am delighted that he has been able to hotfoot it back to the Chamber for the debate following a visit to Croydon North I am sure that both my hon. Friends would agree that the cruel and barbaric treatment of dogs and cats for food in a small number of countries is a stain on humanity and a threat to human health that needs to be stopped. The majority of the British public consider themselves to be animal lovers, and they are strongly opposed to cruelty to cats, dogs and other animals. I am sure that they would welcome the fact that this debate is being held today. There are commercial and cultural reasons why dogs are eaten. In some countries, dog meat is wrongly believed to have medicinal properties. For instance, it is believed to help in the treatment of impotence and poor circulation. However, there is no evidence to support any of these claims and there need to be stronger public information campaigns in those countries to educate populations to understand the facts. Consumption of dog and cat meat is also linked to human health and disease. The consumption of these animals is linked to the transmission of diseases such as cholera and the spread of rabies, in part because of the appalling conditions in which the animals are transported. Perhaps the most offensive aspect of the dog meat trade is the way in which the animals are treated. A huge proportion are family pets that are stolen, transported in inhumane conditions and slaughtered without any regard whatever for the level of suffering being inflicted on them I agree with Members who have said that it is not for people from one meat-eating culture to tell people of other cultures which animals they can or cannot eat, but there is a role to be played in seeking to secure global standards of animal welfare and in working with local campaign groups on the ground in the countries affected to help them strengthen their own cases. AnimalsAsia has conducted a detailed investigation into the dog meat trade, finding that the vast majority of dog meat in China comes from stolen dogs previously owned as pets. It found no conclusive evidence of large-scale breeding farms that could have been capable of supplying the up to 20 million dogs which it is estimated are eaten across China every year. Anyone who has ever owned a pet cat or dog knows how much they become part of the family, being loved, cared for and cherished.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Foreign Trade
Steven Mark Ward Reed (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend makes a pertinent point, and I agree with him. There is certainly a case for consumer power in those countries influencing those countries, but the key is to persuade them of the need to change. Indeed, there are campaigns on the ground in those countries which we can support.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Agriculture
Steven Mark Ward Reed (Labour, Centre-left): The hon. Lady makes a very sensible point. There has been some of this communication in bilateral discussions with other countries, but it could certainly go further. I hope we will hear that response from the Minister in his summing up. I was talking about family pets. Families are understandably grief-stricken when they lose a pet, but to fear or know that their pet has been stolen by animal traffickers who then subject it to sickening levels of cruelty and abuse only makes the grief all the harder to bear. Stolen animals are often crammed into crates where many suffer broken bones. They are transported for days in shocking conditions, with many dying of dehydration or suffocation. On arrival at their destination, most dogs are then taken to slaughterhouses that have not been approved or monitored by local authorities. In horrific conditions they are butchered, often in full sight of other dogs, which are terrified by what they see As my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South mentioned, there is a belief in some places where dogs are eaten that a terrified dog produces tastier meat, so some animals are skinned alive, thrown still living into boiling water or hung by the neck to induce terror. The scale of suffering is hard to imagine. One of the most notorious dog-eating events is the annual Yulin dog meat festival, which has been the subject of a worldwide campaign to close it down. An estimated 10,000 dogs are slaughtered and eaten at this event. The treatment of dogs at the event is horrific and it is on a massive scale AnimalsAsia highlights the fact that existing animal protection laws are not enforced in some countries—in some cases, we are talking about bans on the sale, transportation and slaughter of dogs for meat. It further highlights the fact that misinformation, abuse and illegality is rife at almost every stage of the industry supply chain. There is an overwhelming need for the stronger enforcement of such laws, and again it is entirely legitimate for the UK Government to raise such issues in bilateral meetings, as they have already done with China, the Philippines and South Korea.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Agriculture
Steven Mark Ward Reed (Labour, Centre-left): I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady, and I am sure that British consumers would be horrified if there was any question of dog meat ending up on tables or in food products in the UK In conclusion, there can be no excuse for the intolerable suffering and cruelty inflicted on animals as a result of this trade. We need to do everything we can to support campaign groups in countries where dogs and cats are eaten. It is time to stamp out this barbaric trade.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome that commitment to work with the World Health Organisation and similar agencies. In writing to embassies, the Minister may wish to stress to those embassies how the British public might view the countries concerned when they book their holidays or purchase ceramic items.
Dog Meat Trade — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Agriculture
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): We have had a short and constrained debate, but I think that all the important points have been made. I welcome the commitment that the Minister has given and appreciate his positive response; yes, they were words, but I got the sense that there is action behind them. I wish to make one point in winding up. I will happily debate culture with anybody, because it is very important, but slicing limbs off living animals or burning their skin off with a blowtorch while they are still alive is not culture; it is barbarism Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House calls for an immediate end to dog meat trade cruelty; supports the Humane Society lnternational’s campaign to end the dog meat trade by working with government officials and local organisations in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and China to raise public awareness and strengthen laws related to this trade; and calls on the Chinese government and Yulin and Guangxi officials to stop the Yulin dog meat festival where thousands of dogs are being cruelly bound, confined, trucked and slaughtered for meat.
Driver First Assist — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Transportation
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): I turn to a lighter subject than that of the previous debate—in some ways, but in some ways not. I am grateful to Mr Speaker for granting me this Adjournment debate. It is a little like waiting around for ages for a debate to come along and two come along at once. I will make the most of the half an hour and 32 seconds available to me No one would dispute that despite successive Governments working to improve the road network and improve its safety, it is still a dangerous place. For many people, it is also their place of work, and possibly, therefore, the most dangerous workplace in the United Kingdom. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the number of people killed while driving at work makes road traffic collisions—RTCs—the UK’s biggest occupational killer.
Driver First Assist — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Transportation
Justin Piers Richard Madders (Labour, Centre-left): The M53 and M56 run through my constituency, and in recent times there has been a significant increase in the number of accidents. Many companies in Ellesmere Port take advantage of the transport links available to them. How can I encourage my local companies to get involved in this scheme?
Driver First Assist — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Transportation
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): That is fantastic. It is easy to find the Driver First Assist website—driversfirstassist.org—and my hon. Friend and the companies in his area will benefit if they go on it. I will come in a moment to what I want to hear from the Minister. Drivers First Assist is a voluntary group and the more companies that get involved, the more people out on the roads will benefit Senior traffic commissioner Mrs Beverly Bell says: "Traffic Commissioners have always championed the skills and professionalism of the road haulage and passenger transport industries", and that this initiative now gives them "the skills to save a life." I have quoted some of the people who support Driver First Assist. However, although some companies are getting involved, it is tragic that other companies have said that, if only they had been aware earlier of Driver First Assist, the lives of some of their employees may have been saved Driver First Assist is a not-for-profit organisation. It was created in partnership with the emergency services, which do the training. It has a sound strategy to ensure future sustainability without the need for Government funding, but it does need assistance. It needs help in getting the message out at the formative stage of its development. If fatalities can be reduced as a result of DFA members who are out on the roads responding at the scene and making an early intervention, the savings to the British economy—never mind the human lives saved—are measurable in the billions of pounds. That would be a huge saving for the Government and represent the potential liberation of resources in an already overstretched national health service. The DFA needs investment, however, to get the message out I very much seek from the Minister an agreement to meet Driver First Assist—I think discussions are going on to try to arrange a meeting, but perhaps we can finalise that—to look at how the Government can further promote it through the avenues available to Ministers. My final request is to consider how to make it part of the certificate of professional competence. When drivers go for regular training—it is quite right and proper for them to be required to do so, because drivers are professionals—is there a way of making it mandatory for the Driver First Assist approach to form a module within the CPC? The really important thing is not that everybody has to join Driver First Assist, because it is very much up to drivers to decide whether they have the skills and are able to apply them, but that they should be aware of Driver First Assist I look forward to the Minister’s comments. I am very grateful to Mr Speaker for granting me this second debate today. As hon. Members may be able to tell, I am really passionate about this issue, just as I am strongly passionate about our freight industry and its professional drivers. Something that might simply save even one life must be something that is worth us all getting behind and promoting in every way we possibly can.
Driver First Assist — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Transportation
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): The Department is regularly in touch with haulage firms to ensure that they comply with the various requirements. That always strikes me as a fantastic opportunity to send out the occasional reminder, whether it is on the bottom of an email or printed on a document.
Driver First Assist — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Transportation
Robert Charles Douglas Flello (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister is being very generous with his time. As vital as the first aid element is, there are many other elements of Driver First Assist, such as knowing how to position one’s vehicle to protect the lane and the incident in a way that avoids causing another accident and knowing how to hand over to the emergency services in a professional way.
NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc.) Bill — House of Commons, 2015-11-06
Topic: Social Welfare
Paul Phillip Flynn (Labour, Centre-left): There are 5,000 leading charities in Britain, and there is great concern about the activities of some of them. The majority do a great deal of good, but we know of the abuses carried out by "chuggers"—which constitute robbery as far as donors are concerned—and the use of call centres to plague elderly, vulnerable people. There is a need not for wholesale deregulation, but for new regulations to control those charities.
NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc.) Bill — House of Commons, 2015-11-06
Topic: International Affairs
Paul Phillip Flynn (Labour, Centre-left): There is a current example of grotesque jobbery in the appointment by the Prime Minister of the Conservative Members of the Council of Europe, and three splendid Members, including the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope), have been—
NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc.) Bill — House of Commons, 2015-11-06
Topic: Government Operations
Albert Owen (Labour, Centre-left): The point I was making is that under English votes for English laws, Welsh Members of Parliament with constituents who are trustees on English boards will not be allowed to vote on legislation affecting them. It might be a technical point, but it is hugely important to my constituents.
Tax Credits — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Social Welfare
Emma Louise Lewell-Buck (Labour, Centre-left): Six thousand, eight hundred children in South Shields are growing up in families who rely on tax credits. One of my constituents told me, "Tax credits at the moment only just make it possible for families to feed and clothe their children as it is. If this Government keep making cuts on those of us who are lowest paid we may just give up hope." The public, the experts, some of the Chancellor’s own MPs and the other place all agree that his plans will victimise working parents and their children, so will he please give my constituents some hope and shelve these ridiculous tax credit cuts?
Tax Credits — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Wesley Paul William Streeting (Labour, Centre-left): If the Chancellor had listened to the evidence from the outset, he would not be in this mess. If his Back Benchers had voted with their consciences, there would be an alignment of opinion between this House and the other place. Instead of manufacturing a phoney constitutional crisis, why will he not put his toys back in the pram and appreciate that he needs to go back to the drawing board with his failed policy that hits working people the hardest?
Tax Credits — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Social Welfare
John Martin McDonnell (Labour, Centre-left): May I remind the House that for 3 million people out there who have done everything asked of them and have been bringing up their children and going to work, this is not a constitutional matter? Those people will lose £1,300 a year. Given what happened in the other place last night, may I reassure the Chancellor that if he brings forward proposals to reverse the cuts to tax credits, fairly and in full, he will not be attacked by Opposition Members; indeed, he will be applauded? Can he assure us that whatever proposals he brings forward, he will not support any that an independent assessment demonstrates will cause any child to be forced to live below the poverty line?
Tax Credits — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
John Martin McDonnell (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor has a choice before him: he can push on with tax giveaways to multinational corporations, and press on with cuts to inheritance tax for the wealthiest few that he announced in the summer Budget, or he can reverse those tax breaks for the few, and instead go for a less excessive surplus target in 2019-20. He can avoid penalising 3 million working families with cuts to tax credits, and stick to his self-imposed charter. Is he prepared to listen to reason on this matter? Is he, or any Government Member, prepared to step up and show some leadership on this issue?
Employment Trends — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Labor
Caroline Louise Flint (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor claims he is on the side of working people but, as far as I can see, he has been afraid to publish an impact assessment of changes to working tax credits on people taking up or remaining in work. Will he guarantee, given last night’s decision and the delay, to look at that and that, in any proposals, he will include an impact assessment on people taking up work, increasing their hours or staying in work and how that affects employment levels?
Large-scale Redundancies — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Labor
Helen Catherine Goodman (Labour, Centre-left): Seventeen hundred people in Redcar have lost their jobs, and throughout the north-east it is expected that total job losses will be 9,000. Will the Minister tell those people how long it will take for his measures to take effect and for them to have jobs again?
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: What plans he has to provide local authorities within the northern powerhouse with additional funding and powers to raise funds to support those authorities in carrying out newly devolved responsibilities.
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): The north-east is keen, indeed determined, to slip Whitehall’s leash, but some fear that hard-pressed civil servants will seek to devolve cuts while retaining control of spending. To avoid that, will the Chancellor commit himself to complete transparency in respect of the budgets of the devolved functions, and to publishing the full funding figures for the years before and after the spending review?
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What plans he has to provide local authorities within the northern powerhouse with additional funding and powers to raise funds to support those authorities in carrying out newly devolved responsibilities.; 25 . Last week’s announcement of £130 million for the new “China cluster” at Airport City Manchester, and the announcement of a new flight from Manchester to China, further underpin the northern powerhouse. Is it not clear that, for all the Opposition’s droning on about regional policy over recent decades, it is this Government and this Chancellor who are delivering a clear vision for the north?
Richard Burgon (Labour, Centre-left): Last week, credit rating agency Moody’s concluded that the Chancellor’s decision to fully devolve business rates to local authorities will lead to an increase in council debt levels and fragmentation of the creditworthiness of local government, and will leave many local councils, including Lancashire County Council, with their credit rating downgraded. In the light of that analysis, what safeguards can the Chancellor promise will be put in place to ensure that poorer areas of the country, including in the Government’s so-called "northern powerhouse", do not lose out on vital revenue as a result of this Government’s reforms?
Productivity — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
John Derek Twigg (Labour, Centre-left): One important factor in increasing productivity is ensuring that companies are able to invest in new plant and machinery. Is the Minister convinced that banks are doing all they can to lend to companies to ensure that they can make such investment to improve productivity?
Productivity — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): Mr Speaker, "We don’t export enough; we don’t train enough; we don’t save enough; we don’t invest enough; we don’t manufacture enough; we certainly don’t build enough, and far too much of the economic activity in our nation is concentrated here in the centre of London." The Chancellor may recognise his own words from his Mansion House speech in July. Why was he so damning of his own record?
Productivity — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for his answer. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has said that his productivity plan is "fatally undermined" by insufficient measures to improve the skills of the workforce. Could that be just one reason why the UK’s productivity gap compared with other G7 countries has widened to the largest on record since 1991?
Personal Allowance — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Social Welfare
Joan Marie Ryan (Labour, Centre-left): Raising the personal allowance is not a panacea; it will do nothing to address the deep levels of poverty among the working poor. Is the Minister concerned at all at recent Office for National Statistics figures showing that 6 million jobs pay less than the living wage?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Social Welfare
Karl Turner (Labour, Centre-left): But for the Government’s defeat in the other place, 4,000 struggling families in east Hull would have lost, on average, £1,300 a year. Now that the Chancellor is in listening mode, would he please commit to dropping this vicious assault on hard-working families?
Tax Credits — House of Commons, 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Clive Stanley Efford (Labour, Centre-left): I wait at your pleasure, Mr Speaker Further to that point of order, may I point out that we have had a general election this year, and that during the campaign the Government were consistently asked whether they had any intention of cutting tax credits? They consistently said that that was not their intention. It is parliamentary convention that the House of Lords does not overturn manifesto commitments, but that measure was not in the Conservative manifesto and there is clear concern in the country about it. It is right that the House of Lords should ask the Government to think again.