argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Other
Mathew Richard Allen Rodda (Labour, Centre-left): I appreciate the point made by the Father of the House, but surely the issue here is the persistent breaches of the rules that seem to have taken place, the fact that that contrasts in such an appalling way with the sacrifices made by the British people, and that we all expect so much better.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Other
Angela Eagle (Labour, Centre-left): Yet again, I have sympathy with the right hon. and learned Gentleman, given the Back-Bench duties he finds himself having to fulfil. He talks about us having all the facts before us. Will he reassure the House that all the photographs taken by the official photographers will be available to us to peruse as these judgments are made, so that we can make sure that we have all the facts before us?
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Immigration
Paula Barker (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, Yulia and her daughter Daria fled Ukraine as it was being bombed. They managed to get to Poland and applied for a visa to come to the UK on 1 April. My office has been in constant contact with the Home Office, which has advised us that the checks have been completed and the application is with the decision maker. Yulia and Daria were unable to board a flight to the UK this morning to get to safety with one of my constituents. They are now stranded. They have no food, no accommodation and no money. We have been advised by the Home Office that they should seek advice from the consulate because there is no direct flight back to the UK until next week, and no visa will be with them before Saturday. What can I do, Mr Deputy Speaker, to ensure the safety of Yulia and Daria?
Digital Persecution — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Civil Rights
Michael Joseph Patrick Kane (Labour, Centre-left): I am very grateful to the Minister for giving way and I join her in congratulating the hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) on securing the debate. Just before the pandemic, as part of the International Catholic Legislators Network, I had the great honour to meet Cardinal Zen, who has campaigned for religious freedom in China his whole life. We had to meet in secret, in a secret room, at a time we could not announce because we had to run the gauntlet of Chinese demonstrations and surveillance from a hotel across the road. This was in Portugal. That is the type of behaviour going on for people who want to practise their religion. It is not good enough and the Minister is right to set out the points she is making.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: Making a diagnosis of dementia is important to allow appropriate treatment, support and time to plan for the future. Pre-pandemic, the diagnosis rate for dementia in England was meeting the two thirds target, but today it is 61.9%. In Wales, data capture and quality is poor, but the equivalent rate is thought to be just 50%. Will my right hon. Friend outline what steps he is taking to improve the situation?
Wesley Paul William Streeting (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Secretary of State to his first oral questions and, as this is likely to be his last oral questions, also wish him the best for the future. I associate myself with his remarks about his predecessor, who of course resigned from the Government on a point of principle as others chose to remain loyal; on that note, I also pay tribute to the former Minister, the hon. Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar), for the diligent approach he took to his work and the spirit in which he engaged with the Opposition. One of the contenders for the Conservative leadership says that public services are in a state of disrepair. Another describes the NHS backlog as frightening. A third called ambulance waiting times appalling, and of course the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said that the former Health Secretary’s preparation for a pandemic was "found wanting and inadequate". They are right, aren’t they?
Contaminated Blood Scandal: Interim Payments for Victims — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): Order. This is a very important debate but I do not think that people have advised the Minister on this and he is way over time. I do not know who has written his speech for him, but there are lots of people wanting to get in and a lot of business ahead. I presume he is nearly at the end.
Contaminated Blood Scandal: Interim Payments for Victims — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): Can I just say that we need to advise Ministers of how much time they have? When people are putting speeches together, can they please try to work within the allocated time, because all these Members here have great interest in this issue and need to get in.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): It is on the point that the Minister just raised. If I heard him correctly, he just said that the Government were taking a power to prescribe which regulatory route should be chosen. Earlier, he said that it would be entirely a matter for businesses to determine which they chose. Just so the House is clear, the Minister is saying that it is a free choice unless the Government decide that it is not a free choice.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Other
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship once again, Mr Evans I shall start by responding to a point made by the right hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson). To clarify, the Labour party and I voted against the protocol when it was before the House. In fact, we walked through the Lobbies together on this issue. I am surprised he does not remember such a memorable occasion—it is quite a rarity, it must be admitted. I hope that when he comes to speak, he will correct the record, because we have a good relationship. It is one that I value and that I hope will continue.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Other
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): I am going to move on, because we need to stick to the clauses before us. I will give way once, but I promise, Mr Evans, that I will then crack on with the business before us.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): I am always very grateful to my right hon. Friend for his interventions in these debates; they always add a great deal. He has, with his forensic mind, picked a situation that shows one of the many absurdities thrown up by this Bill. It will, in practice, mean a huge amount of complexity for businesses across Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Some businesses will find it impossible to answer the questions he has raised, and will be deterred from trading on current terms, simply because they are worried about infractions from one of the markets or the other, or indeed about how the two interact. That is an area that I will move on to.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way; he is being most generous. The argument has been put by the Minister and others in the Chamber that businesses in Northern Ireland would be entirely free to choose whether they use one regulatory system or the other, but according to the explanatory notes, clause 11 "allows a Minister to prescribe whether the dual regime should no longer apply to a specific class of regulated goods. It also provides a power for a Minister of the Crown to modify the different regulatory routes available in Northern Ireland." In other words, the Government are taking for themselves the power to turn off the choice that they advocated that businesses should have, as an argument for voting for the proposals.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): I beg to move amendment 37, page 7, line 10, leave out "the Minister considers appropriate" and insert "is necessary" This amendment changes the threshold for giving a Minister power to make regulations under this Clause. The threshold is amended to make it objective rather than subjective.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): Thank you Dame Eleanor; it is a privilege to serve under your chairship this afternoon We are now covering clauses 12 and 17, which deal with subsidies and VAT. These are complex areas of the legislation that speak to a lack of detail in the Bill and about what the Government will actually do in these areas, should the Bill proceed to statute. Clause 12 excludes article 10 and annexes 5 and 6 of the protocol. These are the EU state aid rules relating to goods and wholesale electricity trade between Northern Ireland and the EU. We can immediately see that there is an added complexity to this part of the protocol due to the fact that the electricity industry operates a single wholesale market across the whole island of Ireland. I am not aware that the Government want to try to unpick that—I do not want to give them any ideas—but it illustrates the tangled web that Ministers are creating with this Bill.
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill — House of Commons, 2022-07-19
Topic: Other
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister has clarified that the Government would not act on a whim. However, she did so by saying, in essence, that they would not act on a whim, but they had the power to do so. That is the worry that we have before us. None the less, I will withdraw our amendment, because I hope that the other place will have more time to ventilate these arguments, go into them in more detail and return with some more credible amendments for us to consider in this place. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 12 ordered to stand part of the Bill Clause 17 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Resolved, To report progress and ask leave to sit again.—(Julie Marson.) The Deputy Speaker resumed the Chair. Progress reported; Committee to sit again tomorrow.
Support for Victims of Crime — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Steven Mark Ward Reed (Labour, Centre-left): As we have heard, Members on both sides of the House want victims’ needs to be put first, so why did the Secretary of State tour the TV studios to defend the Prime Minister for ignoring the victim of predatory sexual behaviour by a former Foreign Office Minister when he promoted him to Deputy Chief Whip, despite having been alerted to that behaviour by the permanent under-secretary and despite the Minister in question having admitted to the behaviour?
Courts System — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Housing
Andrew Francis Slaughter (Labour, Centre-left): The courts system relies on litigants having access to appropriate advice and representation, so why are the Government cutting funding to the Support Through Court charity and extending fixed recoverable costs to housing cases that will prevent law centres and other providers from having the means to represent vulnerable tenants against bad landlords, including in disrepair and unlawful eviction cases?
Duty Solicitors: England — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Housing
Kim Marie Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): I send my solidarity and support to the barristers in Liverpool, and to those striking nationally over unsustainable cuts to pay and conditions and the failing justice system. Merseyside and Vauxhall law centres in my Liverpool, Riverside constituency do an excellent job providing legal support to people losing their homes. What steps is the Minister taking to review the shortages of duty solicitors at housing possession court, and what are his plans to improve that, because it is not a consistent approach?
Lammy Review — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Kate Ofunne Osamor (Labour, Centre-left): The Government’s offensive Sewell report sought to dismiss evidence of institutional racism in Britain, yet we know that systematic discrimination remains rife in the criminal justice system, such as the proportion of prisoners from ethnic minority backgrounds on remand. Will the Minister commit to publishing further progress updates on the Lammy recommendations so that the Government’s progress can be publicly held to account?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (Labour, Centre-left): Given the character and record of this Prime Minister and of this No. 10, and given that numerous Ministers have, in recent days, been sent out to spout different versions of events—which the BBC political editor this morning described as all having become "drivel"—how can any of us, including the Minister, have confidence that the latest version of events that he has given the House is true?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jessica Rose Phillips (Labour, Centre-left): I wonder if the Minister has seen his own Government’s "Enough" campaign about abuse and harassment, which literally has an image of a drunk in a pub groping someone. The line is that, "This is enough" and that people should step in and do what they can. It does not say, "Wait until a completely independent inquiry has gone on, while you’re in a pub with a gropey man— until you can try and do anything about it." The Minister has stood in here today and sought to use the standards bodies in this House, which he was not in the meetings for—I was— and which were set up to protect people and to look after victims. Whether it is the Sue Gray report or the ICGS, there is always something that is meant to be for the standards for the public, but a Minister stands there and leans on that to try to get out of basically telling untruths to the public, allowing sycophancy rather than morality to be the reason why people are given their jobs. My question to the Minister is: if it had been me giving out those jobs, does he think the MP for Tamworth would have been able to get one?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour, Centre-left): It seems that the problem we have is many processes, all of which lead back to the personal discretion of the Prime Minister. Is it not the case that we need a single, unified process, without the engagement of the Prime Minister or internal party documentation or machinations, where light is shone on this, and which protects the victims and the accusers rather than the abusers? Is it not the case that we need that now, away from the Prime Minister and independent of this place and himself?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Sarah Ann Jones (Labour, Centre-left): We now seem to be in a position where No. 10 have just admitted that the Prime Minister was told about the upheld complaint, but he forgot. Has the Minister ever found himself in a position where he did not immediately recall being told of an upheld complaint of sexual harassment against a fellow Minister?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): My constituents are facing a cost of living crisis made worse by underfunded, slashed public services. Does the Minister agree that, in the interests of the most efficient use of public funds and public service time, it would be best to open one commission to identify and investigate the occasions on which the Prime Minister has actually told the truth?
Standards in Public Life — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Andrew Francis Slaughter (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister has stated that the Prime Minister’s current defence in this matter is, "I was told but I forgot." The Minister mentioned his time in practice. If a client had produced that defence, what advice would he have given him, and would he have put him in the witness box?
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister has said repeatedly that there is an investigation ongoing. He has absolutely no means of knowing that, because the ICGS process is entirely confidential, and indeed it is important that it is kept confidential. Even the fact that there is an investigation is confidential. I hope that you can confirm that, Mr Speaker, because it is so important to the victims, in particular.
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Once again, it returns to the question of not getting answers. I would be very grateful for your guidance on how we as Members can secure satisfactory answers. On two occasions now, I have tabled written questions relating to the Department of Health’s links with the Beijing Genomics Institute, following its failure to answer properly a question tabled by my predecessor as shadow Asia Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock). My first question, tabled on 13 January, was ignored until the House rose for Prorogation on 28 April. I subsequently tabled a follow-up on 18 May, and to date I have only received a holding response. These are vitally important questions relating to our national security and this is not good enough. Will you please advise, Mr Speaker, on how the Government should answer these questions?
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the hon. Member for giving me notice of the point of order. Of course, I am hoping that Ministers will have heard it. It is certainly on the record. The hon. Member might also consider raising it with the Procedure Committee, which monitors the performance of Government in answering questions. I say quite clearly to the Government that they have a duty to answer all Members of Parliament, whichever side of the House they come from. They should be diligent in making sure that questions are answered as promptly as possible.
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Clive Stanley Efford (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am concerned that the House may have been misled inadvertently, at least by omission. The Paymaster General asserted that the Prime Minister did not recall that he had been advised by a civil servant about the previous issues regarding the right hon. Member for Tamworth (Christopher Pincher) because he forgot, but my understanding is that meetings with civil servants are a matter of record, and his private office would have investigated that. So how do we get redress, because surely it was investigated? What was in that record and who told who about it?
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): I am not going to continue the debate; we have got through it. The hon. Member has certainly put his point on the record, and, knowing him, I do not think he will leave it at that; I am sure he will tickle out further answers we go on.
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): You know the answer; that is why you asked the question. I do not think it was just about one side. You were there, and you put up a good defence, but I think you are a lone batter today.
Alcohol Exporters: Customs Requirements — House of Commons, 2022-06-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nia Rhiannon Griffith (Labour, Centre-left): We all understand the need to protect revenue and to prevent fraud, but some alcohol exporting companies find that their exports are being hindered by HMRC’s refusal to accept standard invoicing as proof of tax paid. HMRC, in requiring additional letters of confirmation, is therefore causing companies considerable hindrance to their exports. Will the Minister agree to meet me to find a way forward that can both protect revenue and facilitate exports?
Inflation — House of Commons, 2022-06-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patrick Bosco McFadden (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor said "celebrate". I am not sure that there is much to celebrate in the figures that I quoted to him. Does he accept that the weakness of the pound, which increases the prices of our imports, is a major contributory factor to the inflation being experienced by our constituents, along with a continuation of the trade frictions caused by the Government’s Brexit deal? Does he have any plans to address that? I am not talking about rerunning the Brexit argument. He could take one step, which is to reach an agrifood agreement with the EU, as New Zealand has. That would reduce costs and bureaucracy for our farmers, for our businesses and, most of all, for our constituents.
Credit Unions — House of Commons, 2022-06-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Gareth Thomas (Labour, Centre-left): Further to the excellent question from the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (Simon Fell), I say gently to the Minister that Ministers have always had warm words for credit unions, which I welcome, but have been somewhat slow to give them or other mutuals, such as friendly societies, the Whitehall and parliamentary support for the legal reforms to drive significant expansion. Will the Minister now back the private Member’s Bill of my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Sir Mark Hendrick) and require all public bodies to promote credit unions going forward?
Women’s Rights to Reproductive Healthcare: United States — House of Commons, 2022-06-28
Topic: Civil Rights
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): (Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if she will make representations to the Government of the United States of America about ensuring that women’s rights to access reproductive healthcare are protected as part of her Department’s work on promoting human rights internationally.