argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Chinese Investment: Intellectual Property — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Amanda Jane Solloway (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to intervene in certain transactions on national security grounds. We will bring forward legislation to strengthen our existing powers in this area, including enabling Government intervention in acquisitions of assets such as sensitive intellectual property.
Chinese Investment: Intellectual Property — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Amanda Jane Solloway (Conservative, Centre-right): We welcome inward investment in the UK’s civil nuclear sector. All investment involving critical infrastructure is subject to thorough scrutiny. Foreign investment and an active competitive economy are key to the UK’s growth. The UK wants a modern and mature relationship with China based on mutual respect and trust.
Hospitality Sector: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I have met regularly with a large number of representatives of hospitality organisations to discuss the issues that they are experiencing, including through the BEIS ministerial taskforce on pubs and restaurants and my own weekly call with sector representatives, the next of which is this afternoon.
Hospitality Sector: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed, Sheffield City Council has paid £87 million to 7,329 business premises. We have provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses in the hospitality sector. We continue to work with them. We continue to extend the furlough system and make it flexible, in order to have part-time furloughing, so that people can start to come back to work. It is important, however, that we get the guidance out so that we can work with the hospitality sector to get it to reopened, so that it can start to bounce back.
Hospitality Sector: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not only that we need a pint. For pubs, it is about not just coming back for the opening, but making sure that it is an enjoyable experience for people, so they keep on coming back. That is what will allow them to survive and thrive, so it is important that we get the guidance out. I am trying to work with the hospitality sector and pubs to make sure that there are as few surprises as possible, but we need to make sure that we are weighing that up with the scientific guidance so that pub people, clients and people who want a pint know that they can go into a pub safely.
Start-Up Businesses — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): We want to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, and it should not matter where in the UK that is. The start-up loans programme has helped more people to realise their dream of starting a business, with more than 72,000 loans, worth £591 million, since 2012. During 2018-19, our growth hubs helped more than 9,500 business starts in England, and through programmes operated by the Government-backed British Business Bank we are currently supporting more than £7.7 billion of finance to more than 94,900 small and medium- sized enterprises.
Start-Up Businesses — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend for the work that he has done with small businesses for many years, including when we were working with businesses together. I know that he continues that work. As part of the package of covid-19 recovery measures we created the bounce-back loans scheme, which targets small and microbusinesses in all sectors, providing loans from £2,000 up to 25% of the business’s turnover, with a maximum loan of £50,000. Applications are done via a simple online form. As of 7 June, 782,246 loans, worth £23.78 billion, have been approved.
Independent Pubs: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Amanda Jane Solloway (Conservative, Centre-right): We have provided a significant package of support to pubs—including a one-year business rates holiday and access to grants of up to £25,000 per qualifying property—through a number of schemes. That is alongside the business support available to all sectors, including access to the coronavirus job retention scheme and various Government-backed loan schemes.
Independent Pubs: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Stuart Paul Anderson (Conservative, Centre-right): Pubs in Wolverhampton such as the Merry Hill, Oddfellows and the Mount Tavern will have been impacted by covid-19. I welcome the measures the Minister outlined, but what is the longer-term strategy to help pubs to return to a profitable state and to become the vital community hubs that they were before?
Independent Pubs: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Amanda Jane Solloway (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that question, because it is vital that we recognise how important such businesses are as community hubs. We recognise that trading conditions may be challenging for many businesses for some time to come. We will continue to work with the sector, both to prepare for reopening and afterwards. I understand that the Minister responsible for small business—the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Scully)—plans to continue to meet representatives of the sector regularly.
Manufacturing Sector: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): We are committed to ongoing engagement with industry to ensure that our manufacturers have the support that they need. That includes a roundtable that I am holding tomorrow for north-east businesses, which the hon. Gentleman will be interested in. Our support for the industry includes the unprecedented £330 billion package of business continuity support.
Manufacturing Sector: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Member mentions the aerospace sector, into which the Government have put around £6.5 billion between the Bank of England corporate finance scheme and UK Export Finance, with an additional half a billion pounds of support. We have also put £3.4 billion into the growth deal across the northern powerhouse, with almost £380 million of that going to the north-east local enterprise partnership area, including his constituency of Wansbeck, which is benefiting from that to the tune of around £2.25 million in a science, technology, engineering and maths building at Northumberland College’s Ashington campus. A lot of work is going into this unprecedented package, but we continue to review all our interventions to make sure that UK workers get the benefit of a dynamic recovery.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I add my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of everyone who has lost their lives in this pandemic We are providing support across the piece for all individuals. The hon. Gentleman talks about people from ethnic minority backgrounds. He will know that we hold regular roundtables to ensure that we are addressing individuals in all sorts of groups that have protected characteristics.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Member will know, the latest figures show that over 49,000 loans have been approved, to the value of more than £10 billion. There is a significant number of lenders attached to the CBIL scheme, but if he has specific cases, he should definitely come and talk to me.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): We are working with the steel sector, as the hon. Member will know, and we continue to work closely with it. Of course I absolutely remain committed to supporting a sustainable UK steel sector. We have increased the amount of borrowing that can take place under the larger CBIL scheme but, as I said to the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) in answer to an earlier question, when individual companies approach us, we will of course enter into direct discussions with them.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): It is good news that our shops are gradually reopening across England, but they are in a delicate economic position. The good old British compromise of our Sunday trading laws allows a balance between the larger stores, the smaller shops, the interests of consumers and the interests of staff working in those shops. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the very last thing we should be doing is disturbing that compromise and potentially placing at risk the jobs and economic capabilities of our small shopkeepers across England?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
James Sunderland (Conservative, Centre-right): Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of visiting the excellent Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell, where I saw busy shops, happy shoppers and dedicated staff who had done everything possible to keep customers safe. Does the Minister agree that it is now time to revise social distancing measures to below 2 metres, not least to give our high streets a big boost?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I again thank my hon. Friend for all he is doing to support local businesses in Bracknell—more power to his elbow. I am sure all of us will do the same in our constituencies over the coming days and weeks. As I said in response to an earlier question, we are reviewing the social distancing rule.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Gordon Mundell (Conservative, Centre-right): May I begin by saying that my thoughts and prayers are with the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Amy Callaghan) and her family at this time? Although a political opponent, she is, like Jo Cox was, a lovely person. Will the Minister, given the recent major policy change, ensure that contracts for difference—
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Housing
Kwasi Alfred Addo Kwarteng (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for the question. He will know that local consent and local support are absolutely key to the pot one auction, but he will also be aware that planning policy is a devolved matter in Scotland, and it is therefore for the Scottish Government to set up national planning policies and the approach to declining planning applications. He is well aware that this Government have been very focused on local consent right through this process.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Housing
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): I draw the House’s attention to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. It is right that the Government are requiring landlords to show forbearance to commercial tenants, but that is shifting some of the burden from the tenants to the landlords, many of whom are small and medium-sized enterprises, yet the banks are not providing a full payment holiday as they are for residential and buy-to-let. It is simply a capital repayment holiday, which is a small part of the payment. Will my right hon. Friend see what he can do about that?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend, as ever, raises an important issue. It is why both the CBILS and the bounce-back loans have a 12-month period during which interest is paid on behalf of the business. I would expect lenders to apply similar forbearance where needed in the case of existing commercial loans.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Anthony Andrew Amess (Conservative, Centre-right): Some 290,000 people in the theatre and performing arts are really struggling financially at the moment. Will the Treasury look at extending the job retention scheme at least until October, and at extending the self-employed income support scheme, which would particularly help those who have freelance work?
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his warm remarks in relation to Jo Cox, which will be shared by everyone The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the aviation sector has already received quite a lot of support through the Bank of England’s covid corporate financing facility and through the large business loan scheme. Colleagues across the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy continue to engage closely with the sector. I fully understand the hon. Gentleman’s concern both in terms of the strategic nature of the industry and also its relevance to his own constituency, and indeed the UK as a whole.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government can rightly be proud of the rapid and effective steps they have taken to save so many jobs in constituencies such as Crewe and Nantwich, but there are some sectors and businesses that will not be able to open in the near or even medium term—for example, Good Time Charlies, a children’s play centre in my constituency, and Crewe Lyceum theatre. Will my right hon. Friend agree to look at whether some businesses and sectors will need more support in the medium and long term?
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): That may well be true, but I would highlight and remind my hon. Friend that one scheme, the bounce back loan scheme, is specifically targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises, and indeed micro-enterprises. Those loans are on very concessionary terms and do not require personal guarantees up to a threshold, so the organisations that my hon. Friend mentions should be able to benefit.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Sarah Elizabeth Dines (Conservative, Centre-right): As my right hon. Friend will know, businesses in the hospitality and events sector—including wedding venues, bed and breakfasts and hotels, which are part of the lifeblood of this country and the economy—have been helped tremendously by the Government’s support and furlough scheme. As the furlough scheme winds down in the autumn, will he push for those sectors of the economy to be able to open fully as soon as it is safe for both them and their customers, to help us maintain Britain’s rightful place as one of the most attractive tourist venues in the world?
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): Actually, we have not said that. We remain interested in positive, detailed suggestions for improvement of the scheme. We have received some that do not appear workable. I will remind the Chamber of what the problem is. Let us not forget that the £50,000 trading profit margin implies average sales of £200,000, so these are not that small businesses compared with many sole proprietorships around the country. With these businesses, it is impossible to tell by any rule-based system the source of any dividends that they are paying, what may be the pay component of them and what may be simply earned from other sources but routed through the company. It has not been possible to devise a system that could operate on this million-person scale or more in the time available, while meeting our central need to act comprehensively and swiftly.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right. I defer to no one in my admiration for Scotland as a country and for its history and people. It is true that in this crisis, as in the crisis of 2007-08, there has been enormous benefit to Scotland from being embedded within a wider Union, where the collective security and financial strength of all can be drawn on. In the case of Scotland, the self-employment scheme alone has 146,000 claims and the job scheme some 628,000 claims, and that amounts to an enormous package of UK Government support for the people in Scotland, and I am very proud of that.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
David Mervyn Johnston (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that one thing all Members of the House could do is to encourage their constituents to support local independent businesses, such as those we have in Wantage, Didcot and everywhere else in the country, to give them the best chance of survival?
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course I agree with my hon. Friend on that. One of the great sadnesses of this has been the extent to which it is often the smallest and most local businesses—the most independent—that are most adversely affected by the coronavirus As he will know, between our job retention scheme, bounce back loans and reliefs and tax exemptions, we have given a huge amount of support in that area, and we will continue to do what we can to support it.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully recognise the strategic importance of Bombardier in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and, indeed, in Northern Ireland. I have visited it myself, and that is well understood. It would not be appropriate for me to talk about specific companies in terms of the support and assistance that we offer. However, as he will know, across Government we are in constant negotiation and discussion with many different sectors on many different concerns that they have, and we will continue to do that.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Other
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I will refrain from commenting on a specific situation; the hon. Gentleman has identified one. But I will say, having not been aware of it, that I will look at his Bill with great interest, and I thank him for drawing attention to it.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely do think that. I pay particular tribute to shops, malls and shopping centres that go the extra mile to be particularly safe and careful, within more than the spirit of the regulations, in ensuring that people can use them. I congratulate Bluewater on the extent to which it has done that. If that helps to communicate a wider sense of confidence in the ability to shop, then all the better.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Other
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend will be aware that this is a topic of great topicality. The Prime Minister has launched a review of this and within weeks the matter will be decided. I cannot go any further than that, but he will see the direction of travel quite soon.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Virginia Ann Crosbie (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Jo Cox Foundation for all it does My constituency is dependent on tourism and hospitality, a sector that was first to be hit by the crisis and is likely to be last to open up. Will the Minister confirm that his Department is looking at new additional measures to support businesses, such as Church Bay Cottages and Catch 22, that have worked so hard to support their community at this exceptional time?
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for bringing to the House’s attention and mine the delights of Ynys Môn. As a Herefordian, I am as acutely aware of the importance of tourism to many of our most beautiful areas as she is, but we continue to look at the sectoral inputs, as I have described. In fact, as she will be aware, tourism, hospitality and leisure have already received quite a substantial amount of additional support from the Government. We continue to keep the situation under review.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Other
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): Nothing could silence the hon. Gentleman’s voice; I am glad to have been able to hear his question. I would be very happy to talk to him. I suspect that there are several hundred miles between us, but I will make sure that we find some way to talk to each other.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am afraid I am not qualified to comment on the ridiculousness or no of the quarantine policy. It remains in place in order to protect people, and it will be for colleagues to make a decision about that in due course.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): Clearly, that is an abhorrent practice. My right hon. Friend is right to highlight it, to the extent that it is going on, and, as she says, it is illegal. I am very proud of the support the Government have given to women, as she has said, including through the national living wage and many other matters. I am also pleased that we have been able to make sure that the structure of the jobs scheme goes over enough years so that any impact on maternity is mitigated, so that those women are not affected, or are affected as little as possible, by the decisions they may have made—
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): We do not know how much worse this will be than the 2007-08 crash, if indeed it is worse, and over what period of time we are talking about. We can be more precise about the causation, because the crash was caused by overleveraging in the banking sector and so the UK was hit harder by the crisis than other countries as a result. That was a result of Government inaction. We have touched on the position of people in the creative sectors and there is not much more I can add in the time available, but I am very supportive of the situation and we are trying to assist them.
Economic Outlook and Furlough Scheme Changes — House of Commons, 2020-06-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I have not seen the survey that she describes. but I will look at it and discuss it with the Minister for Equalities, my colleague the Exchequer Secretary. Of course there can be no shying away from this issue and if it is as the hon. Lady describes, we will look closely at it. I thank her for that.