argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I look forward to the Select Committee’s scrutiny. The right hon. Lady is right to point out that, sadly, some vulnerable people will have been victims of torture. Where those claims are made, they should all be properly looked at, which is why I said in my statement that I want to look again at how rule 35 works, so that when people make those claims, they are properly and thoroughly assessed and taken seriously. On time limits and detention, I hope that she welcomes what I have said about doing more work and about having a proper review. I also want to reassure her that challenges have been built into the system. For example, independent panels will challenge whether someone still needs to be detained, and there are gatekeepers when someone arrives at the detention centre. We have learned from the Windrush cases that those systems have not always worked, so there will be more lessons to learn, and I look forward to working with her on those issues.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I know very well the two cases to which my hon. Friend refers. As we are still working on Windrush cases, there may well be further cases, sadly, from which we will need to learn lessons as well. I can give my hon. Friend confidence that we are doing everything we can to make changes to ensure that the evidence is followed. For example, I have announced a change today to pilot an automatic bail process of two months, rather than waiting for four months. We need to learn more from the Windrush cases, which is why the lessons learned review will be important, and I am sure that it will show us what more we can do to improve detention.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes a very good point. Following the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Alex Burghart), I referred to two reasonably well known cases from Windrush of two individuals who were unlawfully detained. Those cases showed that a number of lessons needed to be learned. One was that the gatekeeper process was not working well enough. Part of that was to do with a lack of information. Had information been accessed from other sources—perhaps public sources where information was held—we might have had a different outcome. She makes a very important point and it will be looked at.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): One of my announcements today was about more support for vulnerable detainees. They included a number of things such as looking again at how rule 35 works, the bail referral process and, as my hon. Friend mentioned, staff training. We are looking at exactly how that can work within the Department, but we want to make sure that not just the gatekeeper staff and those who are at the entry point when someone comes into detention but all staff have some level of training to help spot vulnerable people. The reality is that if someone is vulnerable, they may not always come forward; in many cases, they do not. There are things that one can look for to help to spot people in that situation and try to help.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a very partial reading of Mr Shaw’s report by the right hon. Gentleman. I appreciate that he has not yet had much time to read the whole report, but I do encourage him to do so. I think that he will find that, as well as rightly finding issues and challenging us to do more, which I am and which we will continue to do, Mr Shaw talked about the progress that we have made, including on alternatives to detention. One example of how we intend to take that recommendation forward is the one I gave earlier about piloting a new programme to do with women in detention.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): On the timescale, I have announced four broad measures today. Internally, we are working on what can be implemented. Some of them are much more immediate. Some of the policies need amending. Others will take time to put in place, such as starting some of the new pilot projects about alternatives to detention in the community. On resources, I am sure that I have the resources from now until the end of this spending round. I will then need to have further discussions with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor.
Immigration Detention: Shaw Review — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, following on from my point about transparency and Mr Shaw’s point in his report. I hope that he welcomes some of the measures that I announced today. I will take a closer look at his point regarding data on re-detention.
Standards — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Government Operations
Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That this House– (1) approves the Third Report of the Committee on Standards HC 1397; (2) endorses the recommendations in paragraphs 34 and 35; (3) accordingly suspends Ian Paisley from the service of the House for a period of 30 sitting days, beginning on Tuesday 4 September; and (4) notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order No. 45A, directs that Mr Paisley’s salary shall be withdrawn for 30 days, from Tuesday 4 September till Wednesday 3 October It is always regrettable when the House has to debate a motion of this kind, and we do so following a full process of investigation and consideration by a recognised due process. This motion follows the publication of the Committee on Standards’ third report of the Session, on the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley). The report was published on Wednesday 18 July, and the Government sought to schedule a debate as quickly as possible, in line with usual practice The matters before the House have been investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and reported on by the Committee on Standards. I thank the former commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, and the current commissioner, Kathryn Stone, for their work. I also thank the right hon. Member for Rother Valley (Sir Kevin Barron), the Chair of the Committee on Standards, and other members of the Committee for their work in producing last week’s report. The Committee has concluded that there has been a failure to meet the standards expected by the House, and the Committee considers that hon. Member for North Antrim has "committed serious misconduct" Members may have noticed that the motion originally tabled under remaining orders last week has been slightly altered. This follows correspondence between me and the Chair of the Committee on Standards in which he clarified the Committee’s recommendations. The letter from the right hon. Member for Rother Valley reads: "The Committee’s recommendation was that Mr Paisley should be suspended from the service of the House for a period of 30 sitting days beginning on 4 September. The intention of the Committee was that Mr Paisley should forfeit his parliamentary salary for an equivalent period, i.e. 30 days. However, I understand that the effect of simply suspending him for a period of 30 sitting days, without making separate provision for his salary, is likely to be that he will automatically forfeit that salary for a longer period than 30 days, because of the inclusion of non-sitting days in the overall period of suspension. That was not the Committee’s intention." I have therefore tabled today’s motion, which reflects the Committee’s intended recommendations The motion before the House therefore approves the report of the Committee on Standards, endorses the Committee’s recommendations and proposes suspension for 30 sitting days and withdrawal of the salary of the hon. Member for North Antrim for 30 days. I commend the motion to the House.
Standards — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Government Operations
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): The House has agreed to the motion in the name of the Leader of the House to suspend the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley) for 30 sitting days. Under the terms of section 5 of the Recall of MPs Act 2015, I am now required to write to the relevant electoral officer, informing him or her that a Member has met one of the conditions that make the Member subject to a recall petition under that Act, namely that, following a report from the Committee on Standards in relation to the MP, the House of Commons has ordered the suspension of the Member from the service of the House for a period of 10 sitting days or more Any recall petition will be administered in accordance with the provisions of the Act by that electoral officer. For those who take a keen interest in these matters—I am partly taking the time to state all this because it is the first occasion upon which I have been required so to act—I would add that the electoral officer has 10 working days to set up and open the petition for signature, or longer if it is not practicable to do it within that time. If the petition achieves the necessary number of signatures—at least 10% of the number of eligible registered electors in that constituency—in the specified period of six weeks, the electoral officer notifies me and the seat is made vacant from the date of that notification I hope that explanation is helpful to the House. This is a regrettable state of affairs, but I thank the Leader of the House for what she said in moving the motion and I would like to thank the right hon. Member for Rother Valley (Sir Kevin Barron), the Chair of the Standards Committee, for briefing the House in the way that he has done.
Summer Adjournment — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Government Operations
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to catch your eye in this important debate. I wish to raise four matters: the negative revenue support grant for Stroud District Council, the missing link on the A417, M4 and M5, the reasons for making the Cotswolds into a national park, and—this is the most important issue—the delays in the completion of a £400 million contract awarded to the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh in my constituency Stroud District Council sent a petition to the former Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid). It explained that when it accepted the four-year revenue support grant settlement, it did so on the basis that business rates would remain the same, with 100% retention, and that the new homes bonus would also remain the same. It has subsequently been reduced. I suppose that the most worrying aspect of the negative revenue support grant is the fact that it affects 147 out of 200 district councils in England. Not only will councils not receive any of the grant next year, but some councils, such as Stroud, will have to pay money back to the Treasury The petition sent to my right hon. Friend reads as follows: "Stroud District Council strongly objects to Central Government introducing a new stealth tax on local households by demanding the payment of £549,000 from Stroud District to the Treasury in 2019/20… It is a complete reversal of financial support and is a worrying precedent which seriously threatens the Council’s ability to continue providing essential local and facilities; especially if this payment turns out to be the thin end of a stealth tax wedge which will see ever larger…payments of money siphoned off from local households to Central Government… Council therefore determines to lobby Central Government, through the District’s two Members of Parliament…for removal of the so-called Negative Revenue Support Grant of £549,000" There will be a review later in the summer, and I strongly urge my right hon. Friend the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to conduct that review in a way that is more favourable to one of the two district councils that I represent The second subject that I wish to raise is the missing link on the A419-A417, about which I have campaigned for some 15 years. It is a highly dangerous stretch of road on which, sadly, there have been far too many accidents and far too many fatalities in recent years. It is a very busy road that links the M4 to the M5. Finally, after a lot of campaigning, we had a public consultation earlier this year in which two routes were published. Option 30 was chosen, and it is very important that the Secretary of State lives up to his promise of announcing a preferred route at the beginning of next year, so that we can get on to the development consent order process and get diggers into the ground and start work on this important road in the very early 2020s.
Summer Adjournment — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Transportation
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important point about the A417. Does he agree that the death of a young soldier in May on this treacherous piece of road underscores the importance of delivering that vital project, which is crucial for safety, air quality and the economy of Gloucestershire?
Litter in East Northamptonshire — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Environment
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove (Conservative, Centre-right): This petition declares that residents of East Northamptonshire and the surrounding area want litter to be cleared, particularly by the side of the A14. A similar petition has received 50 signatures. Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that litter should be cleared from the East Northamptonshire area. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to compel local councils to help clear the East Northamptonshire area of litter. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002248]
Oundle North Bridge — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Transportation
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove (Conservative, Centre-right): I present this petition on behalf of the people of Oundle and the surrounding area who rely on Oundle North bridge, which provides vital access in and out of the town. A similar petition has received 1,474 signatures Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that a timely and satisfactory repair of Oundle North Bridge must be agreed between local residents and Northamptonshire County Council and East Northamptonshire Council. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to compel Northamptonshire County Council and East Northamptonshire Council to agree on a plan to make sure repairs are implemented as soon as possible, and with as little impact as possible on the lifestyle of the local residents and the local economy. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002250]
First-tier Tribunals and Freeholders — House of Commons, 2018-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): I was under the impression that first-tier tribunals were meant to be informal. We do not really want lawyers there; we want tribunals to look at the case and to give a decent, sensible, honest judgment.
Postal Voting System — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): The British public deserve to have confidence in our democracy, and the Government are committed to ensuring that our electoral system, including postal voting, is fit for the future. Next year, Peterborough and Pendle will pilot improvements to the security of postal voting. The Electoral Commission’s evaluation of some similar 2018 pilots was published in July.
Postal Voting System — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my hon. Friend examine what happened at the local elections last year, particularly those in London? Large numbers of voters were added to the register, had postal votes and then disappeared off the electoral register very soon afterwards. There are clearly potentially fraudulent activities at work.
Postal Voting System — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I would certainly expect returning officers to look into that carefully, and I would support them in their efforts to do so. It is difficult for me to make any more detailed comments on that from the Dispatch Box, but in general terms we certainly wish to keep the postal voting process secure and safe and to ensure that that process contributes to the overall integrity of our elections.
Postal Voting System — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I do, which is why I refer again to the pilots that I mentioned in my first answer. They will be important to give voters reassurance and confidence that our system is doing what we expect it to do and thus that our elections overall are secure.
Infected Blood Inquiry — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Law and Crime
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): As far as legal aid is concerned, more than £250,000 has been provided to those affected by this scandal to help them pay for their legal representation. As regards the other matter that the hon. Gentleman mentioned, this was an honest mistake caused by an administrative error. We explained that in full in the form of a written statement to the House and apologised to the inquiry as soon as it was discovered. All Departments, other than the Legal Aid Agency and the Courts and Tribunals Service, have now confirmed that no relevant records were destroyed during the relevant period.
Infected Blood Inquiry — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Law and Crime
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): As my right hon. and learned Friend will know, it is a matter for the independent chair of the inquiry to determine its duration. In my conversations with Sir Brian, he has always been very clear that he does not want this inquiry to drag out; he wants to get justice and a clear outcome for the survivors and the victims, and he will be striving to secure that objective.
Infected Blood Inquiry — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
Antoinette Geraldine Sherratt (Sandbach) (Conservative, Centre-right): A number of my constituents are affected by this scandal and have waited for decades for answers on how it was allowed to happen. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that Members are updated about where those meetings outside London are held so that we can keep our constituents informed and get the maximum participation?
Cyber-security — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
Leo Docherty (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that response. Does my right hon. Friend agree that a sovereign capability is very important when it comes to cyber-security and that, when Government contracts are awarded, British companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, should be given preference?
Cyber-security — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to look into the case of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent. I encourage all businesses and third sector organisations to look at the materials available on the website of the National Cyber Security Centre, because it includes plenty of evidence about best practice in improving cyber-security for large and small organisations.
Cyber-security — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): Cheltenham is a national centre of cyber-security because of its strength at GCHQ. Does my right hon. Friend agree that T-levels will help us to remain ahead of the curve in ensuring that we have a rich and deep pipeline of talent?
Cyber-security — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Education
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): T-levels will indeed be an important contribution to improving this country’s skills in cyber-security, and I am pleased that Education Ministers have identified the digital T-level as one of the first to be rolled out in 2020.
Cyber-security — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): No. The hon. Lady made a point about women cyber-security specialists. It is true that only about a 10th of cyber-professionals anywhere in the world are women. That is why the Government this year launched the CyberFirst Girls competition, which is getting more teenage girls actively interested and involved. That is the way to help develop further cyber-skills in our workforce.
Cyber-specialist Vacancies — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): Departments are responsible for ensuring that adequate staffing levels are met. As part of the national cyber-security strategy, we have newly established a Government security profession unit to support Departments in quantifying and managing their cyber-skills gaps and in building career pathways for specialists.
Cyber-specialist Vacancies — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): The Committee praised what the Government had done, but, as the hon. Gentleman says, it also said that we needed to do more. I do not dissent from that conclusion. Indeed, the Government made that clear in their response to the Committee’s report. It is important that every Department feels ownership of cyber-security; it is not something seen as for the centre only to worry about. The profession framework, which will be outlined in the spring of next year, will run right across the Government and will outline the job families for specialists and the pay, rewards and career progression that they should be able to expect anywhere in the Government. [Interruption.]
Cyber-specialist Vacancies — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Technology
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the UK is actually already a world leader in cyber-security, and will the Government continue to commit, through education and training, to ensure that we continue to be so?
Cyber-specialist Vacancies — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Education
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to give my hon. Friend that commitment. I could list a range of programmes that the Government are undertaking with school-age students and tertiary education students to drive up those standards, as well as working with international partners, who look to us for some of the best practice around the world.
Cyber-specialist Vacancies — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: Government Operations
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman will not expect me to go into detail, but we do work very seriously and closely with the devolved Governments in both Scotland and Wales and with the Northern Ireland civil service. In my experience, Ministers and senior officials in those Administrations take this challenge very seriously indeed.
Electoral System: Overseas Interference — House of Commons, 2018-11-14
Topic: International Affairs
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): We have not seen evidence of successful interference in UK democratic processes. However, we are not complacent, as the Prime Minister has said, and we will do what is necessary to protect ourselves and work with our allies to do likewise. The Cabinet Office co-ordinates cross-Government work to protect our democracy and to ensure the public’s confidence in our elections.