argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Standards — House of Commons, 2020-05-11
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): I also thank the previous Chair of the Standards Committee for the way in which she has conducted that role over the past two years, and welcome the new Chair, Mr Chris Bryant, who is asked to speak for no more than five minutes.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-05-11
Topic: Immigration
Stephen Creswell Timms (Labour, Centre-left): Representing, as I do, the borough with the highest age-adjusted covid-19 mortality rate in the country, I will focus on just one point, which is families with leave to remain in the UK but no recourse to public funds. They are law-abiding, hard-working families. They are carers, cooks, cleaners and cab drivers in modestly paid but important roles. They have permission to work and are complying with the rules, but for many of them, as for others, their work stopped when the crisis began Many are not eligible for the job retention or self-employment schemes. Others in that position can claim universal credit, but those with no recourse to public funds are not allowed to obtain an income in that way. Many have children who were born in the UK. Some have children who are UK nationals. Being unable to claim any benefits may be manageable when work is available, but in the current circumstances, it is not The Home Office, inexplicably, will not say how many people we are talking about, but last week, drawing on the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, the Children’s Society reported that there are more than 1 million people with leave to remain but no recourse to public funds, including at least 100,000 children. It has been suggested that the £500 million emergency fund for local authorities can help those families, but not according to the ministerial guidance for the fund. The guidance states that the fund is to increase council tax support, which families with no recourse to public funds cannot apply for, and that any left over can go towards local welfare assistance schemes that some councils run. A written answer from the Home Office last week confirmed that people with no recourse to public funds are ineligible for help from local welfare assistance schemes. Families with children can apply for help under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from their council, but it is hard to find and can be very modest indeed. The Children’s Society report quotes one council that pays £3.10 per person per day. In households without children, even that is not available. Some who should self-isolate because they have symptoms have no choice but to work and endanger others, because they cannot otherwise get any income at all. It cannot be right to deny any possibility of an income to people who have broken no rules and whose contribution we have all benefited from for years. I plead with Ministers to suspend the no recourse to public funds condition for families for the duration of this crisis. The High Court, as it happens, struck it down in an important case last week. Those arguments will continue, but for the duration of this crisis, on moral and on public health grounds, no recourse to public funds must be suspended.
Human Rights — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Gerald Jones (Labour, Centre-left): Since June 2019, when the UK became co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition to defend LGBT communities around the world, no additional Commonwealth countries have joined. Even now, there are no Commonwealth members from Africa, Asia or the Caribbean. What can the Minister do to improve that dire situation?
Human Rights — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Emily Thornberry (Labour, Centre-left): I was interested to hear what the Minister said about multilateral institutions, because the European convention on human rights was the brainchild of Winston Churchill. It was drawn up by British lawyers, and the UK was the first country to ratify it in 1951. Instead of being proud of that achievement, why do the Government now want to stand alone with Belarus, Europe’s last remaining dictatorship, in refusing to support the convention?
Nigeria: Persecution of Christians — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Immigration
Florence Eshalomi (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for his response. Given that recommendation 2 of the Truro review states that the UK should: "Articulate an aspiration to be the global leader in championing FoRB"— freedom of religion or belief—and that the UK Government have committed to all its recommendations, what more does the Minister think the Government can do to assert pressure on the Nigerian Government? Will he also be considering the claims of asylum seekers from the Nigerian community?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Immigration
David Lindon Lammy (Labour, Centre-left): My constituent Sarah Goodman is stuck in Morocco. She travelled with friends just on Saturday and is now subject to a ban. I have also heard from students on years abroad who are stranded. Can the Secretary of State work on his website to update British nationals who find themselves stranded abroad? Can there be a global strategy because there must be people from abroad stuck in our own country who would like to return home?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Angela Eagle (Labour, Centre-left): I compliment the Foreign Secretary on making it clear that essential travel includes the freight services that will keep our supermarkets stocked with food. While I recognise that the Department for Transport will be dealing with this, can he reassure those who undertake long-haul freight travel through Europe to get our food supplies to us that they will not be stranded?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Wayne David (Labour, Centre-left): Three of my constituents from Bargoed are stranded in Krakow, and because Poland has closed its international borders, they do not know how long they will be in that country. Will the Secretary of State put together a comprehensive database of all British citizens who are affected in that way and ensure that basic communication is sent to all those individuals in the not-too-distant future?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Emma Ann Hardy (Labour, Centre-left): One of my female constituents is currently stuck in Istanbul. All flights from the UK to Turkey have been cancelled till mid-April. The airline, Pegasus, is not being helpful, and she has been told that she has only a 25% chance of getting home. The Secretary of State’s hotline has advised that she keeps in touch with the airline but, as I have said, it is not being helpful—nor has the consular support in Istanbul—and she does not have any insurance. What support can the Government give her?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Michael Lee Amesbury (Labour, Centre-left): Many constituents up and down the country are doing the right and inevitable thing and cancelling Easter holidays, but far too many are doing the hokey-cokey between travel agents, the FCO advice and insurance companies. What more can the Secretary of State do to give people a nudge in the right direction?
Income tax (charge) — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): I wholly support following the evidence and scientific advice, but the Government’s advice yesterday to avoid pubs and restaurants has caused a genuine outcry across the whole hospitality industry, because people are terrified that their businesses will be closing forever in two to three weeks’ time. They cannot manage their overheads, they desperately need support and they cannot even claim for insurance because the Government will not formally close them. Why will the Government not make that decision now?
Income tax (charge) — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew Joseph McDonald (Labour, Centre-left): Those are indeed the sorts of responses that we hope to see emerge from the Government Dispatch Box later today. I entirely agree with the approach taken by the Welsh Government As I was saying—and my hon. Friend has echoed my view—the state should not bail out the private train companies. Indeed, the fact that those companies are already wanting to be bailed out demonstrates why it is irresponsible for public services to be run in the private sector. Rather than offering a bailout, the Government should offer to take back the keys and return the services to public ownership The aviation sector has been hit incredibly hard by the outbreak of coronavirus. We have already seen the collapse of Flybe with 2,000 job losses, not to mention the impact that that will have on jobs at regional airports and across the supply chain. Of course, many thousands of UK citizens are still overseas and will want to return, so the Secretary of State has my full support for his efforts to sustain services to facilitate such repatriation Indeed, it is not only a question of passengers: many vital goods and medicines are transported in the belly holds of aircraft. Can the Secretary of State tell us what specific measures are being taken to ensure that those supplies are maintained Clearly many people are going to extraordinary lengths to assist their neighbours and their communities, and I know that businesses will bend over backwards to help their loyal workforces at this time. That being so, will the Secretary of State send a message to major employers asking them to do what they can to sustain their employees’ incomes, and will he give an assurance that workers will also be supported by the underwriting of the majority of their wages by the Government should temporary cessations of trading be necessary?
Income tax (charge) — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Christopher Philip James Elmore (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that we need support for not just small businesses, but one-person businesses? I have been inundated by constituents contacting me because they run a business by themselves and do not qualify for much of this support. I hope that the Chancellor will make an announcement on that, because many people are desperate for that help in the future.
Income tax (charge) — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Peter Christopher Dowd (Labour, Centre-left): Well, they are Tories Let me give the Chancellor a word of advice: I suggest that, for the sake of the country, he stops putting things off and gets things done by pulling his finger out.
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Housing
Karen Patricia Buck (Labour, Centre-left): Half of my constituents rent privately—that is the highest proportion in the country. A quarter of all Londoners rent privately, and 13 million people across the country rent privately, with a third having no savings whatsoever. Will the Chancellor assure me that when we have the statement from the Housing Minister, there will, in addition to any legislative change to protect renters, be money on the table to help people on low incomes and in insecure employment to pay their rent, so that this crisis does not mean that they also get into debt and risk losing their homes?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): Yesterday, the Government announced measures for the hospitality industry. Businesses are laying off people today, throughout the country and certainly in County Durham, where I have spoken to businesses this afternoon. It is clear that the Chancellor does not have a clue how ordinary people live. They do not have access to savings and they do not have access to trust funds or independent wealth; they rely on what comes in each week. I urge him very strongly either to ensure that benefits are paid from day one, or to bring in some system that allows the Government to subsidise wages directly for some small businesses.
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): Last night, a constituent in the hospitality trade contacted me to express concern at the Prime Minister’s measures and to ask what could be done about them. Today, she emailed me to say that she had been made redundant and to ask how she could pay her rent. The Chancellor does not seem to grasp the scale of the fear, the uncertainty and the desperation in the country now. Will he guarantee to me now that every renter will have the means to pay their rent, and every small business the means to pay their staff?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicholas Desmond John Smith (Labour, Centre-left): The measures in the Red Book are nowhere near enough. For families in need, can statutory sick payments be available from day one, for all workers when they are sick, and can it be set at the level of the national minimum wage?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Housing
Margaret Olivia Hillier (Labour, Centre-left): Many of my constituents are freelancers. One wrote to me unable to pay his rent or bills in the next couple of weeks. That is how urgent the situation is. Can the Chancellor give any comfort tonight for people who are very worried? They have been laid off today, have no ability to pay the bills and their freelance work has dried up. We are told that we have to wait for an answer from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary. The Government have known that this was coming. Where is the planning? What answer does the Chancellor have now?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Housing
Zarah Sultana (Labour, Centre-left): Today the Government have announced a mortgage holiday for homeowners, and that is welcome, but they have made the political choice not to give a rent suspension to millions of tenants. The average rent is £220 a week. Statutory sick pay is £94.25 a week. Before people are forced on to the streets because this virus will stop them from working, I, like many other Members in this House, call on the Government to follow the example of other countries and suspend rents and ban evictions today.
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Christopher Philip James Elmore (Labour, Centre-left): Following the previous question, I want to press the Chancellor on sole traders. There are measures on taxation that he could introduce quickly to support sole traders. Many in my constituency are very worried that they will not benefit from any of the Chancellor’s proposals laid out last week or today. Will the Chancellor look at that specific area with Treasury officials, the devolved Governments and anybody else who could support sole traders?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Lilian Rachel Greenwood (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the increase in the small business grant to £10,000, and I understand that those grants will be distributed by local authorities. What assessment has the Chancellor made of the capacity of local councils to deliver that help, and when will businesses actually receive the money?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Naseem Akhtar Shah (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Chancellor’s measures for small businesses, and especially in my constituency lots of people have been in touch with us about them, but they will only be effective if they are timely, so when will the cash grants be available to small businesses in real terms? Will he also consider the idea that, when landlords get mortgage breaks, they pass them on to their renters, and how will we ensure that actually happens?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Public Lands
Alexandra Mary Davies-Jones (Labour, Centre-left): In the past few weeks, businesses in my constituency, and across Rhondda Cynon Taf, have been devastated by unprecedented flooding and are still trying to recover. Many are faced with the bureaucracy of insurers and are trying to rebuild their livelihoods. They are now faced with the prospect of closing for good because of the loss of business due to coronavirus. What conversations is the Chancellor having with the Welsh Government to secure financial relief for all these businesses in the UK?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour, Centre-left): I have been contacted by my constituent Andy, from Erith and Thamesmead. Businesses like Andy’s collapsed this week. The scrapping of business rates does not help small businesses like Andy’s. Loans of £300 billion do not help small businesses like Andy’s. Will the Chancellor clearly set out how he will help small businesses? Will he personally promise me that he will help my constituent Andy and do whatever it takes to make sure he is properly supported?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Housing
Helen Elizabeth Hayes (Labour, Centre-left): The failure of the Chancellor to mention private renters in his statement was a grave error, because many of those private renters are the same precarious workers in hospitality, the arts and culture and other industries who are being laid off today. Will he guarantee that no one will lose their home as a consequence of coronavirus?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
William Roffen Esterson (Labour, Centre-left): The amount of money announced for the loan guarantee scheme is a massive sum, but will businesses want to be saddled with debt when they have no income and no means of paying it back? Previous loan schemes were poorly taken up because the banks ignored the guarantee part of the scheme, so how will the Chancellor make sure that the loan guarantee scheme is delivered by the banks at the scale and speed needed?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Claudia Naomi Webbe (Labour, Centre-left): Given the acceleration of the virus and the collapse of the aviation industry, which means that there is no prospect of any deportation charter flights leaving the UK, and given that there is no testing, it seems inhumane and unjustified to continue to raid the homes of my constituents, especially those who have underlying health conditions or are self-isolating, and put them into detention centres indefinitely, at great expense and in poorly sanitised conditions. That puts the lives of my constituents in danger and violates their human rights. Detentions and deportations by charter flight are barbaric and costly. The outbreak of covid-19 further underlines their cruelty and expense. Will the Chancellor urge the Home Secretary to end them immediately?
Economic Update — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jeffrey Smith (Labour, Centre-left): A lot of my constituents work in the events and leisure industry; many are self-employed freelancers. I spoke to one today, who told me that she earns a large proportion of her annual income during the summer event and festival season. She is going to lose that this year. Given that it could be another year before she is able to get back on her feet, can I urge the Chancellor to come back with a package of support for people like her—ideally grant support, a long-term package for individuals in that sector?
St Patrick’s Day — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Kevin Denis Brennan (Labour, Centre-left): The hon. Gentleman will know that I am very proud to have an Irish father and a Welsh mother, and I recently attended the champ reception at the House of Lords, as I believe he did. The Irish ambassador explained that St Patrick’s Day is becoming a festival that lasts over many, many weeks, and that the first function he had attended this year was on 1 March, at which point I pointed out that that is St David’s Day. Can we put a stop to having St Patrick’s Day celebrations on the day of the Welsh patron saint, St David?
St Patrick’s Day — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Other
Kevin Denis Brennan (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate the hon. Member on his description of his constituency. He is making it sound not just like Mount Stewart gardens but like the garden of Eden, but may I remind him that that is where original sin was invented?
Speaker’s Statement — House of Commons, 2020-06-02
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): Before I bring in the Secretary of State, I remind the House that if Members who have managed to ask a question could leave to allow others to do the same, that would be very helpful and allow you to share the Chamber. At the end of the first statement, we will have a gap of five minutes before the next statement, in order to allow people to rotate.
Hong Kong National Security Legislation: UK Response — House of Commons, 2020-06-02
Topic: Civil Rights
Claudia Naomi Webbe (Labour, Centre-left): Amnesty International found that the Hong Kong police force has indiscriminately arrested over 1,300 people in the past year at peaceful protests, and has tortured those in detention. It has used extreme force against pro-democracy protesters, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. In America, we see a brutal state crackdown against protests in response to the latest police killing of an unarmed black man, and in England and Wales there have been over 1,700 deaths following contact with the police since 1990. What are the Government doing to oppose state-sanctioned violence and racism in Hong Kong and across the world?
Covid-19 Response — House of Commons, 2020-06-02
Topic: Civil Rights
Tulip Rizwana Siddiq (Labour, Centre-left): In the London Borough of Brent, which covers part of my constituency, two thirds of communities are from a BAME background, so it comes as no surprise that some areas in Brent have the third highest rate of covid-related deaths in the whole of London. The Secretary of State has said that he recognises the disproportionate impact that covid-19 has on BAME communities, and he has said that black lives matter, but BAME communities are not interested in slogans or empty rhetoric from us politicians; BAME communities want to know what concrete and practical steps the Secretary of State is taking right now to ensure that BAME communities are protected when the lockdown is eased, so that the lives of no more people from my communities are lost.
Covid-19 Response — House of Commons, 2020-06-02
Topic: Civil Rights
Ruth Lorraine Jones (Labour, Centre-left): I am glad that the Secretary of State has announced the publication today of the report into how covid-19 has disproportionately affected black and minority ethnic communities, but it has taken far too long. It is because black lives matter that the Government must do all they can to address this disproportionality right across the UK, so will the Secretary of State update the House on what specific discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations about the impact on those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds across the UK?
Covid-19 Response — House of Commons, 2020-06-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): I have been sitting here desperately trying to give the benefit of the doubt to the Government, because we are in a national crisis, but I have to reflect the fury that my constituents have reflected to me on Facebook and in emails about the Dominic Cummings situation. I know the Secretary of State will want to shrug it off and will want to move on, but I have to say to him that it has been absolute fury. People think that there is one rule for the Government and their friends and another rule for everybody else. They have made massive sacrifices, and they feel that the Government are not standing by them. Please, please will he reflect that back to the Government?