argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Public Health — House of Commons, 2020-12-01
Topic: Macroeconomics
Rachel Louise Hopkins (Labour, Centre-left): It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jackie Doyle-Price). I agree with many of the points she raised. We are on the cusp of vaccine roll-out, but the Government’s response must not underestimate the continued threat of the virus. We know that the previous three-tier system did not work, and we ended up in a national lockdown. Nobody wants a repeat of that. The Government should have learned from those mistakes, but it does not seem that they have. Not only have the Government failed to fix test and trace during the lockdown, but they are recklessly ploughing on with the tiered system and the insufficient economic support package. The £20-a-head business support grant is only a one-off payment, and businesses are in the dark about the future of the furlough scheme. Furthermore, tier 1 areas receive the same support package for just 28 days of national lockdown as areas now facing many months in tier 3. The Federation of Small Businesses said that the spending review was "a missed opportunity to help small business owners—not least those who have been excluded from support measures" I, too, am very concerned about the impact of these regulations on the pub and hospitality industry. The situation in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s alarming employment forecasts has been accelerated by the Government’s approach to the sector, which expects to have lost nearly 600,000 jobs by February 2021. That is in the space of a year. UKHospitality states that 98% of the hospitality trade will be in either tier 2 or tier 3 and will see a 70% drop in trade for the whole of December, representing £7.8 billion lost. The sector needs increased support to help it through the crisis The decision to allow pubs to open only if they sell food will devastate the industry across the country, and I have heard first-hand from pubs in Luton South about how the lockdown restrictions have damaged their business, but also about how wet-led pubs have implemented covid-secure measures to keep their customers safe, taking contact details, using table service and doing regular cleaning. I hope that the Government will publish the scientific evidence for closing the wet-led pubs, so that we can understand how the risk posed is any different from pubs that serve food or, indeed, going to the supermarket I fully support the Campaign for Real Ale’s call for fair treatment of all pubs, which includes publishing the scientific evidence, sector-specific support and parity between wet-led pubs and those that sell food. The Government have not learned from their mistakes, have not listened to SAGE on lockdown and have not introduced sufficient measures to protect public health or the economy.
Digital Advertising — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Technology
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): I do not know who your secret Santa is, Mr Speaker, but I do know the Minister’s: Google and Facebook. Only, they are not buying presents—just using our data, behaviour and social contacts to tell us what to buy through their domination of online advertising, while our local retailers, who pay significant taxes and employ so many people, lose out. Can the Minister confirm that the digital markets unit’s powers have yet to be defined and that powers in the long-delayed online harms Bill are being watered down? Will she promise now to stop tech companies selling on our data, and put us back in control of our digital lives and Santa back in charge of Christmas?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Technology
Joanna Meriel Stevens (Labour, Centre-left): This week, we learnt that a former Conservative DCMS Secretary, now the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, had to promise to be positive towards Mark Zuckerberg and his monopolistic company before Mr Zuckerberg would even agree to meet him in 2018. Has the current Secretary of State adopted the same approach in his meetings with Facebook executives during his tenure?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Joanna Meriel Stevens (Labour, Centre-left): I am pleased to hear that we will finally get the much-delayed online harms Bill to ensure that the regulator has the strength to tackle online child abuse comprehensively and ensure trust and transparency from online platforms—including, of course, Facebook; Instagram, which is owned by Facebook; and WhatsApp, which is also owned by Facebook—as standard, as the Secretary of State has promised. However, we have heard this week that the Bill has been watered down and will not include criminal penalties for senior tech executives after multiple breaches. Will the Secretary of State assure the House that he will not put his relationship with powerful tech companies ahead of the safety of children and that criminal penalties will be included in the Bill?
Covid-19: Backlog of Cases — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Jessica Elizabeth Morden (Labour, Centre-left): The backlog of cases has meant a serious delay in the ability to access justice. As the Law Society has pointed out: "Investing in legal aid for early advice and legal representation will ensure judicial time is used as efficiently as possible in cases which do go to court." What is the Attorney General doing with the Lord Chancellor to ensure that legal aid and early advice are funded properly to help tackle the backlog?
Covid-19: Backlog of Cases — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Eleanor Claire Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I congratulate the Attorney General on her happy news. The CPS case backlog is up 55% since March; victims of domestic violence are being told by police to pursue civil action rather than criminal prosecutions because the courts are so overwhelmed; and the latest figures show that domestic abuse prosecutions are down by 19%. On the final day of 16 days of action against gender-based violence, it is clear that the Government are letting down victims on every front. What exactly is the Attorney General doing about this?
Rape and Sexual Assault: Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Anthony Joseph Lloyd (Labour, Centre-left): I can rehearse the figures, as indeed the Attorney General can, on declining rates of prosecution for rape and sexual violence. The Victims Commissioner, Vera Baird, found that only one in seven victims believes they will get any form of justice through our criminal justice system. Does the Attorney General agree that if rape is not to be a de facto matter of impunity for the attacker, we must have the rape review published as soon as possible, and that we have to see urgent action to begin to bring these catastrophic and scandalous numbers down and to give confidence to victims that they will actually get justice?
Rape and Sexual Assault: Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Eleanor Claire Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): Rape prosecutions are at their lowest level on record, and the recent survey of survivors found that just 14% believed they would receive justice by reporting the crime. Does the Attorney General agree that violence against women is a violation of women’s fundamental human rights, and does she therefore think that instead of announcing unnecessary consultations on the Human Rights Act 1998, which is there to protect victims and the public, the Government should instead focus on addressing the complete and systematic failures of the current criminal justice system?
Publicly Funded Barristers — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Mohammed Afzal Khan (Labour, Centre-left): It was extremely disappointing to see no further funding for legal aid practitioners announced in the Chancellor’s spending review. There has not been a rise in legal aid payments for 25 years, and a decade of Government cuts to legal aid have left thousands of practitioners facing the prospect of going out of business, even before coronavirus. Does the Attorney General agree that legal aid practitioners should have been included in the spending review?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Rachel Jane Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): (Urgent Question): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office to make a statement on the progress of the negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU and preparations for the end of the transition period.
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Rachel Jane Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): The country was hoping for a breakthrough last night, yet there was none. There is a sense of huge dismay, as we all wanted to hear significant progress, but we heard more about the Prime Minister’s meal than we did about his deal. In fact, we have not heard from the Prime Minister at all, even though he was supposed to be taking charge of these negotiations On Sunday, we will have just 18 days to go until the end of the transition period. How has it come to this? Businesses desperately trying to plan need to know what on earth is going on. If talks break down and the Government pursue no deal, what happens next? Will the Government look to swiftly restart negotiations, or do the Government believe there should be no talks next year or even for the rest of this Parliament? Or have the Government not thought that far ahead I want to focus in my question today on the security implications of no deal. The political declaration, signed by the Prime Minister, stated that there should be a "broad, comprehensive and balanced security partnership." Yet despite numerous questions from the Opposition, and indeed from the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), Ministers have been unable to tell us how border officers and police will be able to access security data. The Government’s "No-Deal Readiness Report" admitted that, without a deal on security and data, the UK would lose access to key law enforcement tools such as SIS II—the second-generation Schengen information system—Europol and the European arrest warrant. These databases help us to fight organised crime and terrorism. Can the Minister guarantee that the security of the British people will be in no way undermined in the event of no security agreement The Labour party believes that the security of our country and our people are crucial. The Government will not be forgiven for undermining those. So for our economic prosperity and for our country’s security, will the Government do the responsible thing and bring back the deal?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Foreign Trade
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): We all want a deal, but UK businesses—let us be frank—are looking at the prospect of no deal with utter dismay. In the political declaration, the Government signed up to common high standards "commensurate with the scope and depth of the future relationship" and agreed to robust level playing field commitments to "prevent distortions of trade and unfair competitive advantages." What proposals has the UK made in the negotiations to maintain common high standards in the years ahead, given that it is inevitable that these standards may change on both sides of the relationship?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Geraint Richard Davies (Labour, Centre-left): The Government have already published an economic impact assessment of no deal. Will the Minister ensure that they publish an economic assessment of any EU deal on offer, so if any deal is rejected we will all know at what cost?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Barry John Sheerman (Labour, Centre-left): I get on well with the Minister, but I must tell her this morning that it is our duty to hold this Government to account at this crucial time for all our constituents. That being said, being creative and determined is all very well, and I have been impressed by the negotiating skills of the two men leading this over these weeks, as I sit on the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, but this is about leadership. As soon as the Prime Minister gets his sweaty hands on this issue, there is failure—failure of leadership, failure of determination and failure really to deliver this Government’s message. I hope the Minister comes back on that.
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Energy
Rachel Louise Hopkins (Labour, Centre-left): Investing in green industries and our transport infrastructure will be key to building back better after the pandemic and transitioning to net zero. With Government support, the automotive sector, including Vauxhall in my constituency, could move more quickly to producing more electric vehicles and councils could move to implementing the required green infrastructure to support them. Will the Minister outline whether a position on what is considered state aid has been reached, and whether any agreement will enable Government to invest in and subsidise green sectors?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Agriculture
Mohammad Yasin (Labour, Centre-left): England and Wales were due to qualify for BSE negligible risk status next year, but due to the diversion of Government resources and staff to work on Brexit and covid, the Government missed the OIE—the World Organisation for Animal Health—submission deadline. Will the Minister apologise to my constituent in Bedford who runs Dunbia Cardington, who, despite his attempts to send out a message in a post-Brexit world that he is open for business and has the highest food standards in the world, will have to wait at least another year for his meat to qualify for this world-class status because of her Government’s failure?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Creswell Timms (Labour, Centre-left): In acknowledging its importance yesterday, the Minister for the Cabinet Office told me that he could "see no reason why" a data adequacy agreement with the EU should not be in place by the end of the month. Will the Minister confirm that one has actually been applied for? When is a decision expected? Does she recognise that, in the national interest, we must have one?
Future Relationship with the EU — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: Foreign Trade
Anthony Joseph Lloyd (Labour, Centre-left): Does the Minister accept that even the sovereign United States believes that trade disputes can be resolved through internationalised mechanisms such as the World Trade Organisation and others? In that context, is not the concern of business about a crash-out no deal limited by the fact that it is not so much the Prime Minister’s guns that he is sticking to but the guns of those siren voices behind him who want that no-deal Brexit?
United Kingdom Internal Market Bill — House of Commons, 2020-12-10
Topic: International Affairs
Edward Samuel Miliband (Labour, Centre-left): I will try to be as brief as I can, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to say to the Minister that we should note the progress made in the removal of the law-breaking clauses from part 5. What has essentially happened here is that the Joint Committee set up to deal with the outstanding issues on the Northern Ireland protocol has dealt with the issues on the Northern Ireland protocol. We are in a slightly through-the-looking-glass world here. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster this week described Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice President of the Commission, and his team as displaying "pragmatism, collaborative spirit and determination to get a deal done that would work for both sides."—[Official Report, 9 December 2020; Vol. 685, c. 847.] These are the same people the Prime Minister described in his Second Reading speech in September as being "willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths".—[Official Report, 14 September 2020; Vol. 680, c. 42.] He also said that they had engaged in an "extraordinary threat" and refused to take the "revolver off the table" There are two conclusions we can draw from this sequence of events. The first is that Mr Šefčovič has changed his whole character, attitude and personality in three months; the other is the Prime Minister has a man who will make up any old nonsense for political advantage. I tend to the latter view.
UK-EU Negotiations — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: International Affairs
Paul Christopher Blomfield (Labour, Centre-left): This is how the Prime Minister described his oven-ready deal last November: "put it in Gas Mark 4, 20 minutes and Bob’s your uncle." The Minister is nodding. Clearly, the Government have delivered half of it—leaving the European Union—but we have now passed six of the Prime Minister’s deadlines for the other half, which is the agreement on our new relationship with the EU. In those same comments last November, the Prime Minister promised to end "dither and delay". This week, we have heard of companies that have stopped exporting to the EU because of the uncertainty created by the Government’s handling of these negotiations. Has the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made an assessment of how many jobs have been lost through their incompetence?
UK-EU Negotiations — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Christopher Blomfield (Labour, Centre-left): I think we are all waiting to see Let me ask the Minister about a different part of the negotiations. When I have asked him previously, he has been unable to confirm that we will have access to the real-time information systems that we need to identify foreign criminals at our borders. We both understand why the Government’s position has prevented him from giving that confirmation. This morning, speaking on Radio 4 just over an hour ago, the Home Secretary was pressed on the issue and said: "All the type of channels that we have used in the past we will continue to use going forward." Was she right? Anything less than an unequivocal endorsement will indicate that she was not.
UK Preparedness: End of Transition — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Law and Crime
Rupa Asha Huq (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister is forever the smooth talker, as we saw in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Paul Blomfield), but how exactly will our police access those real-time Schengen most-wanted criminal databases in 14 days’ time? With 15,000 UK extradition requests in both directions last year alone under the European arrest warrant, how can he guarantee that, when we leave, Britain does not become a safe haven for murderers, rapists, terrorists and other cross-border criminals? People want precision on prosperity and security and, frankly, his one-liners are not good enough.
Covid-19: Consultants — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Andrew John Gwynne (Labour, Centre-left): The National Audit Office’s investigation into Government procurement during the pandemic reflects the chaotic culture of outsourcing across Government. Contracts have been awarded after work has begun without competition and without any meaningful due diligence checks. How can the public have any trust in the Government’s response if the Government are not transparent with them?
Covid-19: Consultants — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Margaret Greenwood (Labour, Centre-left): The Good Law Project estimates that £1.6 billion-worth of contracts for covid-19 services have yet to be published, and details of contracts are consistently being published late. This is despite the fact that there is a legal requirement for those details to be published no more than 30 days after the contract is awarded. The Government are clearly failing in their duties. What is the Minister going to do to improve transparency in Government procurement?
Covid-19: Consultants — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Helen Elizabeth Hayes (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister mentions the Green Paper on procurement, which the Government published this week. The foreword to the Green Paper acknowledges the need to "strengthen our longstanding and essential principles…of transparency, ensuring value for money and fair treatment of suppliers." With serious concerns being raised about the multiple contracts awarded by the Government, with no competition, to companies with strong connections to the Tory party and no clear track record of delivery, will the Minister put those warm words into action now and extend the Freedom of Information Act to all private companies, such as Serco, delivering public services?
Covid-19: Consultants — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Clive Anthony Lewis (Labour, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker; I can be heard at last. Given that this Government have doled out £10.5 billion of our money without any competition, according to the National Audit Office, and frittered hundreds of millions on consultants and individuals whose main qualification seems to be that they are friends with members of this Government, does the Minister agree that in any other part of the world it would be called corruption, plain and simple?
May 2021 Local Elections: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Katharine Helen Brooks-Osborne (Labour, Centre-left): The May 2021 elections will see a record number of different elections with various different voting systems all taking place on the same day. In normal times this would pose an immense logistical challenge, without the added complications brought about by the pandemic. Will the Minister outline why the Government have ruled out an all-postal ballot and refused to make any legislative changes to consider any new forms of voting, as we have seen across the globe?
May 2021 Local Elections: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Government Operations
Navendu Prabhat Mishra (Labour, Centre-left): I know from my own experience that a large proportion of electoral staff and volunteers is made up from the demographic that would be considered vulnerable, with many retired and older people volunteering. If the Government have refused to provide any more funding for the running of the May 2021 elections, what steps are they taking to ensure that there is not a huge shortage of electoral staff?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Transportation
Rachel Jane Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): The UK’s ports are our gateway to the world. Yesterday, the port infrastructure fund was finally announced. We found out that Dover did not get the £33 million that it asked for; instead, it got just £33,000. Portsmouth faces a shortfall of £8 million. The Minister recently visited that port, so he knows its huge importance. Why have the Government short-changed vital infrastructure critical to the everyday economy, while at the same time wasting millions of pounds on consultants and middlemen as part of Tory cronyism?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-12-17
Topic: Foreign Trade
Geraint Richard Davies (Labour, Centre-left): Happy Christmas, Mr Speaker. We will not be in the single market or the customs union, but the deal on the table offers free trade without tariffs, minimum environmental and worker protection, and sovereignty to diverge for selective adjudicated tariffs if, and only if, we undercut EU standards. Why then, on the last day of Parliament, is the Minister continuing to threaten UK business with no deal, plunging them into immediate tariffs for no divergence in just two weeks’ time?