argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for his support for taking people from the camps. We have looked at the issue of safe zones, and we will continue to do so, but if we are going to designate safe zones, we have to ensure that they are safe. That would involve a military commitment by Turkey, by America and potentially by Britain, and it would be a very significant commitment. We should focus on what the safe zones are supposed to achieve, which is to try to keep people in their homes and communities or, when they have left, to keep them in refugee camps rather than see them making the dangerous crossing into Europe. The thinking about safe zones is certainly the right sort of thinking.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Mixed Topics
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his remarks. I should like to make two points. First, we are not raiding the Department for International Development budget. It is an acceptable existing use of that budget to pay for refugees in their first year after coming to Britain, and that is good common sense. I will resist, though only partly, the temptation to point out that, according to my Sunday papers, the Liberal Democrats want to cut the aid budget. But there we are; perhaps I will leave that one for the memoirs The right hon. Gentleman talks about a common European position. Yes, we should be working towards a comprehensive approach, but we are not in the Schengen no-borders agreement, and I think that being able to maintain our border controls when others in Europe have given theirs up is right for Britain. I also think it is right to take the refugees out of the refugee camps rather than take part in the relocation scheme, which always has the danger of encouraging more people to get into boats, get into dinghies and make the potentially lethal crossing across the Mediterranean.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Nicholas Soames (Conservative, Centre-right): May I welcome the statement that my right hon. Friend has made this afternoon? Does he agree that it is, in effect, the only way to uphold international law and to show real compassion, by acting in the way that he proposes in the countries that are lodging the greatest number of refugees?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for his support. We are endeavouring to have a plan that demonstrates both head and heart. It is right to take refugees and it is right for us to demonstrate our humanitarian concerns—to play our part—but we have to recognise that solving the problem is going to require a lot more than that. Indeed, as I said the other day, there is no number of refugees that you can take to sort out this problem: 11 million people have been pushed out of their homes, and only 3% of them have so far come to Europe. Part of the focus must be on trying to secure the future for those 11 million and not encouraging them to get into boats and dinghies to attempt such a perilous crossing.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): The Home Secretary will be making a full statement next week about this, but it is going to depend on the capacity of the UNHCR to process people, and on the capacity of councils and others to take people on. But I do not see any reason why we cannot get off to a very good start and make sure that we bring people to this country and give them the genuine welcome that this country wants to give them.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Mixed Topics
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point. The 0.7% commitment is not some sort of badge to take out and wear; it is something that is making a real difference. The reason why we have been able to be the second largest bilateral donor to the Syrian refugee camps is that the resources are available—as I have said, I am talking about giving 10 times more than some other major European countries. This morning I met Stephen O’Brien, formerly a Member of this House and now UN Under-Secretary-General with responsibility for humanitarian affairs. The camps are short of money. They need money for food and for proper resources. There is a crying need for other countries to do what Britain has done and meet the promises that we have made.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): The point about the migration target is that the Office for National Statistics has calculated migration figures in the same way for many, many years. It includes refugees as well as other migrants. I think the British public wants to know that the system as a whole—for migration and for those seeking asylum —is under control. I am absolutely clear that we are committed to taking 20,000 Syrian refugees, and we will meet that target.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his support for taking migrants from the refugee camps? I would like to take him up on his offer, and I will ensure that conversations are had with the First Minister to see what role Northern Ireland can play in this matter.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
John Alan Redwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I strongly support the Prime Minister’s view that our help to Syrian refugees must be given close to the borders of Syria, and that we should not encourage people to undertake hazardous journeys using people traffickers; that is cruel. Will he confirm that on the unrelated topic of economic migrants, more will need to be done to honour the very serious promises that we made to the British people?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend makes an important point. There are a number of people who are fleeing the appalling conflicts for whom we need to find a home, but clearly there are people who have been crossing the Mediterranean—particularly those coming from Libya on the central Mediterranean route—who are economic migrants in search of a better life. Part of the comprehensive approach that Europe needs is to ensure that there is a way of breaking the link between getting on a boat in Libya and getting settlement rights in Europe. Going back through history, whenever countries have had huge problems in this regard, they have needed to break that link to discourage people from making the trip if they are not refugees.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): We do not believe it is right to take part in the European relocation quota because we think that a better answer for Britain, which is such a major investor in the refugee camps, is to take people directly from the camps. In that way we will not encourage more people to make this perilous journey. By taking a long-term view, and looking at the asylum seekers we have taken and the people we have resettled from around the world, I would say Britain is absolutely fulfilling our moral responsibility, and we absolutely play our part In terms of the hon. Gentleman’s question about Iran, of course there is an opportunity for greater dialogue with Iran now that this nuclear deal, which I think is a good deal, has been done, but Britain should enter into that in a cautious and sceptical way. We ought to remember that Iran is still a supporter of terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah, which I know he describes as friends but which I see very much as enemies. We also need to make sure that Iran is playing a positive role in Syria, rather than the role it plays now of propping up the hated Assad regime.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Eric Pickles (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister is quite right to concentrate on the plight of children, which I think is in the spirit of the Kindertransport. I also think that he is right to concentrate on helping the people in the camps in Syria. Of course, it is not the children who decide to take the dangerous journey from Syria; they are accompanied by their parents. If they are separated or orphaned thousands of miles from home, they are peculiarly vulnerable. Will my right hon. Friend tell us about the discussions he has had with international and European partners to identify those children quickly and see that they are resettled in the region or elsewhere?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to the issue of children, who will be one of the priority groups of the 20,000 we will be taking. We have to be very careful in this regard, because many expert groups advise that there is a danger in potentially taking children away from other family members and groups, but I am sure that there are many orphaned children and children at risk whom we could welcome here. We have also looked at Save the Children’s proposal about the 3,000 Syrian children already here in Europe, and we will continue to discuss that. Again, major international organisations such as the UNHCR advise caution on relocating unaccompanied children, so we should be guided by the evidence as we make these very difficult decisions.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we should not take account of someone’s religion. We do not do that in our asylum processes, when we welcome and resettle people in what is—and let us be proud of it—one of the most successful multiracial, multi-ethnic democracies anywhere on earth I think we have to show some understanding of the difficulties that the Schengen countries have. Once people have crossed one external frontier into Europe, there is not really another border, unless they come to Calais, perhaps, so there are stresses and strains within the Schengen system. We are working with the Schengen countries as partners. We will not join the Schengen system—we are going to keep our borders—and we will not take part in their relocation system, but we need to show some understanding of the problems they have and perhaps help them with, for example, the external frontier to Europe, which is causing so many difficulties at the moment.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. There is naturally huge interest in this subject, and I am keen, as far as possible, to accommodate it, but there is a pressure on time. In appealing for brevity, perhaps I can look to that versatile thespian, Mr Stephen Pound.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank you, Mr Speaker, for facilitating the organisation of the vigil we held in Westminster Hall earlier today I welcome the statement and I am very pleased that we are doing more, but when welcoming Syrian refugees to our shores, how can we ensure that we do not inadvertently reward those who traffic vulnerable people for financial gain?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point. One of the ways to make sure that the criminal gangs do not benefit is to take people out of the camps, rather than take people who have arrived in Europe, because, tragically, many of them are being inveigled into using criminal gangs, which benefit when the trade in people increases.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Having seen at first hand the work of DFID officials helping refugees from Daesh in their camps, can the Prime Minister confirm that there will be no reduction in that effort now that we are welcoming more to this country with DFID funds? I am sure that that was the implication of what my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) said. I think the whole House will agree that we should all be proud of what those officials are doing and have been doing over many years.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We will continue to invest in these refugee camps; £1 billion has gone in already and we will keep up that investment. Taking people from the camps is the right answer for Britain and the right answer for those people, and of course we will release some of the capacity of those camps, because at the moment they are under huge amounts of pressure, not just budgetary pressure but people pressure as well.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a very good question. There are two reasons for taking this approach. One is that by granting people the humanitarian passport, as it were, they do not formally have to go through asylum procedures to prove that they are refugees; we are taking them once they have met the criteria, and then they have the right to stay. Of course, at the end of those five years some may choose to return to Syria, but many will want to stay here and apply for settlement rights, which of course they will be able to do.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): The acting Leader of the Opposition rightly referred to the contributions that refugees have made to this country throughout history and the hopes for the children whom we are to welcome, but ultimately Syria will need its best and its brightest. Is it not right that by investing in refugee camps in the region we will help—I hope—Syria to rebuild itself in future as well as look after people in the immediate vicinity?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I repeat the figure of about 11 million people taken out of their homes. All our interests are in those people going back to their homes. That obviously needs a solution to the Syrian crisis, but it is the right answer rather than an even bigger movement of people.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): We are funding the camps in Jordan, in Lebanon and in Turkey. The point I am trying to make about the 11 million is that, given that so far only 3% of the 11 million have moved to Europe, we have to be careful not to create an incentive so that that 3% becomes 10% or 20%, because that would completely overwhelm the capacity of even the most generous state, such as Germany, to receive people. That is why investing in the refugee camps and not just helping those in the camps outside Syria but working with UN agencies about how to help people inside Syria, which I was discussing with Stephen O’Brien this morning, is so important in trying not only to stop the scale of the movement but to save lives at the same time.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew William Murrison (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate the Prime Minister on both parts of his statement and the agencies on the intelligence-led operation of 21 August. Does he agree that the mark of a truly altruistic and compassionate society is measured not in the tens of thousands of fit and able young men it accommodates, but in the number of people who are truly vulnerable—women and children, the elderly and the sick?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): Where I agree with the hon. Gentleman is that the British public are very generous and want to see us resettle refugees. They do not see any conflict—neither do I—between resettling refugees and playing our humanitarian part while having a well- managed and well-controlled immigration system. They want both things and we must deliver both things.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The facts of the matter are that those refugees who have made it into the EU are already safe and we cannot make them any safer. Not all those coming in are genuine refugees. We are already taking hundreds of thousands of migrants into the UK every year and we are struggling to cope with them. I have not heard anybody ask that they should be distributed around the rest of the EU through a quota system. May I therefore urge the Prime Minister to have regard to the silent majority in this country and base his decisions on common sense and being practical, not on the affliction of so many other politicians, which is some kind of emotional craving to be seen as compassionate, irrespective of the practicalities of the situation?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his remarks. He makes an important point about those who have already made it to Europe being, to some degree or other, far safer and less at risk than those still stuck in Syria or in very precarious positions in refugee camps or on the borders. It is right that we consider that in our response.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is difficult to get precise figures, but a number of people have left Syria because of Assad’s brutality and a number of people have left because of ISIL’s brutality. That is why the movement of refugees has been so great and why it is wrong to say that we need to choose between two evils. We need to get rid of both of them.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Stewart Jackson (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on taking a proportionate, measured approach in the national interest. It is a shame that Her Majesty’s Opposition did not take a similar approach when Syria was debated on a substantive motion two years ago, when their behaviour was duplicitous, and that is being charitable. May I take him back to the tragedy within this humanitarian disaster that is the systematic persecution of Christians over many years? Notwithstanding his earlier answers, in designing the mechanics of the refugee settlement regime, will he take into account the systematic persecution of Christians that has existed for many years?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, in total we have given refuge to about 5,000 Syrians. We have also had a resettlement programme for many years that resettles about 1,000 people a year, including Syrians. In addition to that, there is the specific vulnerable persons programme, which we will be massively expanding.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): Some time ago, my great-grandparents made a long journey over land and sea and became refugees in England, so I understand as much as anybody the importance of Britain giving refugees a home. Once we have welcomed those who need to come here, we must ensure that they have the tools to lead a decent life, integrated in our communities. Is the Prime Minister satisfied that the investment we are making for the long-term future of these refugees will be sufficient?
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. and learned Friend makes an important point. Giving someone asylum and refugee status is not an act that is just completed with a piece of paper; it has to be completed with a warm welcome. We have to say to these people, "You will be welcome in our communities. Your children will be welcome at our schools. You will be welcome to use our hospitals." These people will be able to take jobs in Britain. They will have all those rights. It is very important we make sure that the welcome is warm and well organised, which is why I think the scale we are looking at is about right.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Civil Rights
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right that we should not take people on the basis of their faith, but on the basis of whether they are being persecuted. I describe it as "extremist Islamist terrorism" because I think simply to say that what we are facing from ISIL and others is terrorism is not a proper description of what we are facing. The religion of Islam is a religion of peace. The overwhelming majority of Muslims want to condemn—and do daily condemn—these fanatics, but the fact is that the fanatics themselves self-identify as Muslims. That is why it is so important that British Muslim communities—as they do—stand up and condemn them and say, "You are not acting in the name of our great religion. You are perverting it." But simply pretending the problem does not exist by just calling it terrorism will not work.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): I can certainly give that assurance. The scale of movement of people into Lebanon, for instance, now accounts for about a quarter of its population. We give a lot of money to that country to help with refugees and we should continue to do so. It is better for people to stay and be looked after there, and in time to return to Syria, than to take the perilous journey to Europe.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): The British programme can get under way straightaway. We need to talk to UNHCR to make sure it can process the people out of the camps, but I think that 20,000 Syrian refugees is a generous and correct approach for Britain to take.
Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism — House of Commons, 2015-09-07
Topic: Immigration
David William Donald Cameron (Conservative, Centre-right): We have said 20,000 refugees, which I think is the right response for Britain. We want to make sure we have the capacity to give these people a home and a welcome. Obviously, every year Britain takes asylum seekers from right around the world—I think last year we had some 25,000 applications. We have a large number of people from Eritrea and other countries trying to make their way to Britain and claim asylum. Our record on asylum claims over a 10 to 20-year period shows that we are a generous country which operates the system properly, and I think that 20,000 Syrian refugees is about right.