argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Defence and Security Review (NATO) — House of Commons, 2015-03-02
Topic: International Affairs
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a very significant question. It is definitely worth thinking about in the next SDSR. As the hon. Gentleman points out, many of our assumptions are based on the fact that we will operate with the US coalition, but in relation to the Falklands we cannot be so confident that that will happen.
Defence and Security Review (NATO) — House of Commons, 2015-03-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman; he is extremely kind. We on the Government Benches entirely agree with him—we must hold our Prime Minister’s feet to the fire and insist that he live up to the 2% target. The more important question is whether the hon. Gentleman has had any indication from the Labour Front Bench that in the event of a Labour Government, Labour will go for 2%.
Defence and Security Review (NATO) — House of Commons, 2015-03-02
Topic: International Affairs
Nicholas Soames (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the most dangerous aspects of all this concerns what President Putin is doing to improve greatly on the way Russian forces acted in Georgia, which was not a great success from their point of view? He is trying a whole lot of new tactics, forces, weapons and structures in a wholly or partially deniable way.
Warm Home Discount Scheme (Northern Ireland) — House of Commons, 2015-03-02
Topic: Energy
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for that question. Obviously, the key point that is relevant to what we are talking about is how we could advise or assist in some equivalent measure, which is exactly what she has raised with us today. In preparation for this debate, we had further discussions. The hon. Lady talked earlier about trying to keep the dialogue open, and I wish to reassure her that we are always keen to work with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland and to share with it all that we have learned about trying to administer this scheme in the best way to reach the constituents who, as she has clearly set out, are so vulnerable to high energy costs: the vulnerable, the disabled and the pensioners, who often do not go out Although I do not have the answers here today about how the scheme could be extended to Northern Ireland, because, as I have said, it is a devolved matter and has separate payments, I would like to reassure the hon. Lady that we are always keen to work with our counterparts in Northern Ireland and we will be keen to continue to do that. I hope I have shown that we will work with them wherever we can to make sure that fuel poverty is eradicated in Great Britain and Northern Ireland by any means possible. I commend her for raising this issue today Question put and agreed to.
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): The dairy industry is a vital part of food and farming and of our national life. With farmers struggling with low prices, we are doing all we can to help with cash flow. We are working with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to help farmers delay their tax payments; we are urging banks to treat dairy farmers sympathetically; and we have prioritised dairy farmers for payments from the Rural Payments Agency.
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Daniel Robert Kawczynski (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that answer. My right hon. Friend will know that Shropshire has some of the most productive and best dairy farms in the whole country, and I very much hope to invite her to visit Shropshire after the election, when she will continue to be a great Secretary of State. Will she explain what additional help she is giving to dairy farmers to ensure that more milk is used in our schools and hospitals, and exported?
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend about how productive dairy farmers in Shropshire are. We want to see more dairy products sold here in Britain and overseas. That is why we launched the Bonfield plan, which will open up £400 million-worth of business across the public sector. I strongly encourage schools, hospitals and caterers to use the balanced scorecard, so that they can buy from great producers in Shropshire.
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Foreign Trade
Anne McIntosh (Conservative, Centre-right): May I applaud the work the Secretary of State and her Department have done on exporting dairy and other products? What urgent action can she take to rebalance the relationship in the supply chain between the very small dairy producer and the often very large processor in this business?
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for her question. Since 2009, we have seen a 50% increase in dairy exports. There is still more to do, however, which is why we have appointed our first ever agriculture and food counsellor at the Beijing embassy—China will be the world’s largest importer of food and drink by 2018. There is, of course, more work to do, and we have given the Groceries Code Adjudicator further powers, including the power to impose fines of 1% of turnover.
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Andrew John Turner (Conservative, Centre-right): A key plank of the Government’s assistance to dairy farmers is the LEADER programme. After the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs failed to answer pleas for advice on the Isle of Wight’s application, will my right hon. Friend agree to an urgent meeting, so we can discuss this matter with Ministers?
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): With milk at 20p a litre, farmers across Wiltshire are suffering most dreadfully, and many of them are going out of business, but they accept that it is a question of worldwide supply. They ask me questions, however, about whether the Irish quota is larger than it need be, and about whether milk products, particularly cheese, are being re-imported from Ireland—possibly illegally across a porous border—and depressing British prices.
Dairy Farmers — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): Currently, 50% of the dairy products consumed in Britain are imported. I want to see more British products produced and sold in this country. That is why I am pushing the European Commission for compulsory country of origin labelling to make sure that British consumers can go into supermarkets and find out which products are from Britain.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (Conservative, Centre-right): Trawlermen in Folkestone, Hythe and Dungeness have raised with me their concerns about the lack of quota for the inshore fishing fleet and the potentially devastating impact of the discard ban. Will the Minister urgently consider making more quota available for the inshore fishing fleet and granting an exemption from the discard ban?
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): While the common fisheries policy does not allow the exemption of a whole fleet, there are other exemptions—for instance, exemptions for species that survive after being discarded, and if handling discards is disproportionately costly. On quota, we are in the process of permanently realigning some of it from producer organisations to the inshore fleet. In addition, as part of this consultation, we are considering giving the inshore fleet a greater share of the quota uplift that forms part of the CFP.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that the right hon. Gentleman has been pursuing this issue. As he will know, at the December Council we argued strongly for measures to be taken on bass. We pressed the European Commission to take emergency measures to ban pair trawling, which was done in the new year. We are currently discussing with other member states and the Commission the possibility of a bag limit for anglers, and also catch limits for the remainder of the commercial fleet. I can also tell the right hon. Gentleman that we are considering raising the minimum landing size nationally.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): Mackerel were included in the pelagic discard ban that was considered last year, but we are giving serious consideration to the survivability rates of white fish, particularly flatfish such as sole and plaice. I shall be happy to look into the specific issue of mackerel hand-lining in Cornwall, and to keep it under constant review. We did manage to secure an exemption for the Cornish sardine industry, which was a big success.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that people are concerned about the challenges involved in the implementation of a discard ban. That is why we have had to start thinking about it at an early stage, and why we have issued the consultation in the way that we have. As for choke species such as hake, which is often cited in Scotland, we will be phasing in the ban over five years, and we will start with the species that define the fishery, so the ban on some of those species would not apply until a date closer to 2020.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish (Conservative, Centre-right): I believe that the discard ban is absolutely right, although it will obviously take some time to get its implementation right. What will be done about fish that are landed and may or may not be fit for human consumption, but could be used as fish food, or even for farming purposes?
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): We are discussing that with processors and port authorities, but we believe that we have enough processing capacity to create fishmeal, although there may be problems with transport from the ports to the locations where the fishmeal is processed. We want to change fishing behaviour, and to reduce the amount of unwanted fish that is landed by means of more selective gears and changes in fishing patterns.
Inshore Fishing Fleet (Discard Ban) — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): I shall be happy to look into that. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the nephrops industry is particularly important in Northern Ireland, and we managed, against the odds, to secure an increase in the total allowable catch at the December Council. That will be good for the Northern Ireland fleet. Different countries take different approaches when it comes to technical measures; that is an important aspect of the devolved entity that we want the common fisheries policy to become.
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): In November we published the national pollinator strategy, a 10-year plan to help pollinators to thrive, which involves farmers, major landowners and the public. People can help in their gardens, schools or local parks by leaving areas wild for pollinators, or ensuring that food sources are available throughout the year.
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Andrew Richard Rosindell (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Secretary of State update me on how the 2013 United Kingdom national action plan for sustainable use of pesticides is being reviewed, so that the use of pesticides by local authorities in particular can be reduced?
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): We will update the action plan by 2017 in line with European Union requirements. Many local authorities are involved in our national pollinator strategy: Bristol, Wyre Forest and Peterborough are all taking measures to plant pollinator-friendly wild flowers.
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Jeremy John Elton Lefroy (Conservative, Centre-right): Last month, at the Stafford green arts festival, "There is no planet B", I was presented with a book that contained a number of concerns raised by my constituents, including the threat to bees and pollinators. What news can I give them of the work being done across the country to protect and preserve pollinators, which are so essential for food production?
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right: pollinators are vital for our £100 billion food and farming industry, and are estimated to be worth £430 million to our economy in services alone. That is why we launched the national pollinator strategy, which will include a wild pollinator and wildlife element in the new countryside stewardship scheme. That means that farmers will have a strong incentive to help pollinators on their land.
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am pleased to see that Network Rail has joined the Government’s strategy on pollinators, but is my right hon. Friend aware that its practice of removing all vegetation along the railway embankments destroys the habitats of bees and pollinators, and no assurances have been given to my constituents in Hampton-in-Arden that there will be an offset for this biodiversity loss?
Bees and Pollinators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for making that point. It is good news that Network Rail, the Highways Agency and other major organisations, including the National Trust, have signed up to the pollinator strategy, and I am certainly very happy to take up that specific point with Network Rail, because major landowners can do so much to make sure that areas are available for pollinators to thrive.
Rural Payments Agency — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): Under this Government, the Rural Payments Agency has dealt with the historical issues of late payments to farmers, which were a feature under the last Government. This year it released payments to 97.4% of claimants within the first month, and 2013-14 was the agency’s most successful year to date, with more customers being paid on the first day than ever before, and with high customer satisfaction scores.
Rural Payments Agency — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
William David Wiggin (Conservative, Centre-right): I must declare my interest in farming. Will the basic payments system be ready by 15 May? Why are farmers expected to draw ineligible features, instead of satellite mapping being used? What sort of support is there if they make any errors in the process, so that they are not being set up to fail?
Rural Payments Agency — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): On the first point, I can report that over 75% of farmers are now registered on the system. Some of them are experiencing issues with the slowness of the mapping system, and we are working to address that. On my hon. Friend’s question about why they have to map, they have always had to map ineligible features—that is a requirement of the EU regulations—but they are entered on to the final application by digitisers, who check that the area is mapped correctly.
Rural Payments Agency — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): We have been working closely with the farming industry on this. Under this system, this was always going to be an iterative process. We wanted to put the system in place in stages and instalments. We have 75% of farmers on already, we are addressing the issue of the speed of the system, and we are looking at ways of expediting things for certain land types, so that they can bypass parts of the land eligibility criteria. I should also point out that we have a network of 50 digital support centres to help those farmers who require help.
Rural Payments Agency — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): Our plan is to make the system work and to ensure that those farmers who need help can go into digital support centres. We anticipate that those centres will be busier in April, but we have ensured that they have sufficient capacity to upscale and to help farmers. It is important to recognise that about half of all farmers have only permanent pasture, and the requirement for them to map their details is lesser than it is for arable farmers. We are looking at ways of expediting this process.
Key Performance Indicators — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Gary Nicholas Streeter (Conservative, Centre-right): Could one of the Department’s environmental key performance indicators be the simplification of uplands entry-level stewardship agreements? I have several hill farmers who are struggling with unhelpful interpretations of those agreements by Natural England, and they need to be clarified and simplified.
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I was delighted that in December we could announce £80 million for schemes on the Humber estuary, which will improve protection for more than 50,000 households. We are examining the ambitious proposals put forward by my hon. Friend, his colleagues and local authorities in the area, and we will publish the results in July.
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Questions: I am grateful to the Secretary of State for publishing the flood protection investment figures as official statistics, for which I asked in the House more than a year ago. They show, as I claimed, that over the past three years the Government have cut the amount spent on flood protection by £350 million, compared with the amount they inherited. The really interesting thing is that although the figures show the amount rising this year to £469 million, they show it falling immediately after the election to £370 million. Is that because the Government believe flood risks will fall by 20% next year—or is it just pre-election cynicism?
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend will be aware that it is not just the sea we need to protect against, but flooding from excessive rain. What action is she taking to encourage the Environment Agency to ensure that drainage ditches are regularly dredged?
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Questions: I am grateful to the Secretary of State for publishing the flood protection investment figures as official statistics, for which I asked in the House more than a year ago. They show, as I claimed, that over the past three years the Government have cut the amount spent on flood protection by £350 million, compared with the amount they inherited. The really interesting thing is that although the figures show the amount rising this year to £469 million, they show it falling immediately after the election to £370 million. Is that because the Government believe flood risks will fall by 20% next year—or is it just pre-election cynicism?
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): First, we are putting additional funding into maintenance—an additional £35 million this year and next year for those types of activity. We are also running pilot projects so that local landowners and farmers can be involved in that work, as well as the Environment Agency. In addition, local environment agencies are spending more time now on issues such as dredging to make sure that that work happens.
Bovine Tuberculosis — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): The success of the bovine TB eradication policies pursued in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Republic of Ireland demonstrates the need to bear down on the disease effectively in both cattle and wildlife.
Bovine Tuberculosis — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Fiona Claire Bruce (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he agree that lessons from Ireland, in particular, show that where there is TB in wildlife it must be tackled through culling as part of any comprehensive strategy to tackle TB? If that had happened years ago when TB was known to be moving towards Cheshire at the rate of 1 mile a year, Cheshire’s farmers would not be suffering the difficulties they are today. Does he also agree that this should not be such a political issue? It is about supporting our farmers and eradicating TB.
Bovine Tuberculosis — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point: it is not possible to eradicate this disease without tackling the reservoir of the disease in the wildlife population. She rightly says that the previous Government put their head in the sand and did nothing. This is a slow-moving, difficult disease and it has to be hit hard and early, which the previous Government failed to do. At a recent NFU conference Labour confirmed again that, irrespective of the evidence and the advice of the chief veterinary officer, it would abandon the culls.
Bovine Tuberculosis — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Charles George Eustice (Conservative, Centre-right): The random badger cull trials that were carried out demonstrated incontrovertibly that, over time, the cull did lead to a significant reduction in the disease, which is why the experts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recommend a cull as part of the strategy. It is absolutely wrong for Labour to say that it will ignore the evidence and the advice of the chief veterinary officer. On the costs in the first year, the cull clearly had elements of analysis, post mortem, research and policing that will not be present when we roll it out more widely. We are committed to having a badger cull as part of our 25-year strategy.
Hunting Act 2004 — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not prepared to listen to the advice of a party that has a shadow farming Minister who will not listen to the chief veterinary officer and who has said publicly that he will not follow his advice on animal welfare issues.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2015-03-12
Topic: Environment
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are delivering on their priorities of growing the economy and improving the environment. Since 2010, we have cut farm inspections by 34,000 a year. We have helped create 150,000 acres of priority habitats. We have planted more than 11 million trees. We have cleaned up more than 10,000 miles of river. We have reformed the common fisheries policy, invested £3.2 billion in our flood defences, providing protection to an additional 230,000 homes, and put in place a strategy to eradicate bovine TB. This is a record we can be proud of.