argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): A moment ago, the right hon. Member for Belfast North (Nigel Dodds) raised the very correct point about the importance of the trade from Northern Ireland into GB, and how much more of that there was compared with trade from Northern Ireland into Ireland and the EU. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that, for those fishing vessels, as for other goods, there are no tariffs applied in terms of NI into GB, nor will there be any tariffs in terms of those who land their catch back into NI. We are dealing with a subset, which is, where it goes into the EU.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Secretary of State acknowledge that the matters that are being discussed are a symptom of a very serious problem that we need to resolve by good will and negotiation and with regard to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland? In that context, I urge him to listen carefully to the arguments not only from those in the Democratic Unionist party, but from our Back Benchers who realise that this is a matter of such importance that it absolutely requires 100% attention from the Government.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend rightly raises the point about the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. He will know that the text specifically says that there must be regard to "maintaining the integral place of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom’s internal market", and there is specific reference to its "constitutional status", so he is absolutely right about that. He is also right in his recognition that these issues need to be addressed in the context of the future trading relationship that will be reached between the UK and the EU, and we have set out our ambitions for that. We are trying to address the period ahead of that, but we have the implementation period and we are confident that we can get a free trade agreement in place on the timescale that applies—to December 2020. That, as he rightly identifies, then addresses the points in his question.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Marcus John Hudson Fysh (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend commit himself to the use of maximum leverage in our future negotiations with the EU to ensure that this scenario does not come about in the first place, and to maximum use of the simplifications available in the Union customs code to ensure that you do not have to have controls at the border itself?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. In some ways I can go further and better than that, in that the text actually requires both sides to work to minimise the concern to which he has referred. So I would not see it so much as requiring to put leverage on the EU. I think there is a common interest in minimising this, because the text requires it and because, as I said in my response to the right hon. Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper), the EU is incentivised to minimise the impact to ensure that the arrangements gain the consent of the Assembly in Northern Ireland.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that what has shaped these arrangements is something on which I hope the right hon. Gentleman and I can agree. There are unique circumstances in Northern Ireland. That does require a unique solution. There are already unique circumstances pertaining to the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. That is what the solution has put in place. He would, I think, be the first to criticise the Government if we proposed a solution that in any way compromised or involved infrastructure on the border between north and south. Therefore, that does require a degree of flexibility and creativity on all sides; that is part of a negotiation. It is to the credit of Taskforce 50 that, having for a long time said that the backstop was all-weather and all-insurance—having said that it could not be changed, that not a word could be amended—the taskforce did apply creativity and flexibility, and perhaps he should do so as well.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Nigel John Mills (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State has referred to electronic declarations for goods going from west to east. Is he planning to build a new system in the next 14 months, or is he planning to use an existing system such as CHIEF, the customs handling of import and export freight?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Transportation
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right that this is a straightforward process. In terms of documentation, hauliers and the transportation of goods, often, a firm will be making the same journey to their supplier, which is why any impact of the administrative procedures will be mitigated over time and the systems will ease them. However, we will work with the Joint Committee to reduce the impact of those. That is exactly what the implementation period is for.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I know the hon. Gentleman reflects the very legitimate concerns in his constituency as to some of the details, but I do not accept his characterisation of this. The strong representations we have had in government were on the need to safeguard the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, to ensure there was no infrastructure at the border in Northern Ireland, and to mitigate. Indeed, our commitment to Northern Ireland to address specifically the concerns he raises is reflected in another part of this package that has not been mentioned at all this morning, which is the new deal for Northern Ireland that the Secretary of State has been discussing with parties in the wider context of getting the Executive back up and running. It would be an odd position to suggest that the Conservative and Unionist party is not committed to Northern Ireland when indeed part of this package is a new deal which addresses the levelling up that the Prime Minister has committed to, in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): It is quite understandable that hon. Members who represent Northern Ireland raise concerns about this issue, but is not the key point that these arrangements will be superseded by a future free trade agreement, and that there are compelling reasons to think we can strike a deal that suits both sides, not least because of the impact on Ireland if we did not? Its GDP growth rate is currently 5%, but it will go into recession if we do not agree a UK-wide free trade agreement.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): As a senior business figure in his previous career, my hon. Friend understands both the dynamic impact from an economic point of view and also the terms of the agreement, which are exactly as he says: the free trade agreement will supersede these arrangements. These arrangements can be part of this, but the free trade agreement is where we will then take it forward.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman talked about this being within Great Britain. There are no requirements in the protocol pertaining to Great Britain. We will have control, and this is part of it being unfettered; we will have sole control as to how we wish to address this. [Interruption.] With respect, the hon. Gentleman asked the question, and I have been trying to give full answers— perhaps slightly too full in the view of the Chair. The simple answer is that there are no requirements in terms of Great Britain: we will have sovereign control, as a sovereign country.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): As I understand it, a majority vote is required for Northern Ireland to escape the existing deal, which of course is a change from the cross-community agreement, and this has, I know, upset our friends and colleagues representing Northern Ireland. Can this be looked at, so that at least in December 2020 when we leave the EU Northern Ireland comes with us in whole?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): First, Northern Ireland will come with us: it will be part of the customs union, it will benefit from our trade deals, and we are absolutely committed to leaving, as the Prime Minister repeatedly says, whole and entire. My hon. Friend does raise a concern that has been raised on the Benches opposite in terms of the consent mechanism, but the concern is about giving one community a power of veto, not least because these are reserved matters pertaining to international relations that fall outside the scope of the Good Friday agreement. It is important to understand what the consent mechanism is applying to, and it is for that reason that it is by simple majority.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman and I would agree on the desire to grow that business, because economic ties underpin the democratic relationship that we have, and we both share a common desire to have a strong Union with Northern Ireland as a central component of that. There will be scope, both during the passage of the withdrawal agreement Bill and then in the implementation period, to look at the things that can be done to strengthen that. I would draw his attention, for example, to what we secured on state aid in Northern Ireland, where there is scope to look at the UK economy as a whole, which again enables us to ensure that Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom is central to the decision making of this and any future Government.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the tone of these exchanges, which seem to me very calm and very sensible and do recognise the concerns being expressed from Northern Ireland. I suggest that we need to separate two things—the symbolism of a process of compliance required between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, and the substance of the effect of that policy. It seems to me that all the questions are about the substance of compliance, and that those are fears that possibly can be assuaged, and that we should seek to assuage, while recognising that there will still be deep concerns in the loyalist community in Northern Ireland about having any kind of agreement that requires that compliance.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Mark Julian Francis Pawsey (Conservative, Centre-right): On a very practical level, PTI Express Ltd is a haulage company based in my constituency, transporting goods to and from both Northern Ireland and the Republic, and it were very concerned about the threat to its business—about the prospect of no deal. Of course, that threat to its business has now been abated as a consequence of the vote in the House earlier in the week, but what arrangements should it put in place for future circumstances?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend in part, in that I think the central concern of many businesses, as with those in his constituency, has been around no deal; but because of the decision that the House took on the programme motion, I would not say that has been abated. That is why my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has had to step up our no-deal preparation, Yellowhammer. The sooner we can reach a deal, the sooner we can address fully the concerns of my hon. Friend’s constituents, because he is quite right: many members of the business community are concerned about no deal. That is why they want this deal done and they want us to move forward.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): What article 6 makes clear is that there will be unfettered access—[Interruption.] That is article 4, sorry—[Interruption.] I had actually lifted out the page from my folder. What is made clear is that there will be unfettered access and that the UK has sovereign control—[Interruption.] I was actually quoting it correctly, because article 6.1 of the withdrawal agreement states: "Nothing in this Protocol shall prevent the United Kingdom from ensuring unfettered market access" My point is that article 6 allows for unfettered access, and that is exactly what the text says.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Paul Masterton (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK Government have an unequivocal obligation to ensure unfettered access for Northern Ireland into the GB market. It is not good enough to say, "We will wait six months until the Joint Committee to try to sort this out," because the trust is not there. There is nothing to stop the UK Government setting out now how they intend to achieve unfettered access, both through the future relationship that they want with the EU and a package of unilateral domestic measures that they could take to prevent any of these provisions from coming into force. When will we see those measures?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): Such issues can quite rightly be discussed in more detail during the passage of the withdrawal agreement Bill Just to correct things, I slightly misheard the hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), but I am happy to pick up his specific point following this discussion.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): It is misrepresenting the issue to say that such things are in jeopardy from a simple form—I have it here—that will need to be filled out. There are legitimate questions about administrative processes that we have been exploring in the House, and I stand ready to discuss them further, as does the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. However, it does not help the debate to describe a fairly simple form pertaining to what goods are moving from whom to whom and what is contained in the cargo as putting our future trade with Northern Ireland in jeopardy.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Macroeconomics
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important point. He will fully understand that as a Minister of the Crown it is not for me, on behalf of the Chancellor, to make fiscal commitments of that sort at this stage. However, my hon. Friend is opening up a wider discussion. As part of the new deal for Northern Ireland, as part of restoring the Executive, and as part of the Joint Committee looking at how we can reduce the impact of any administrative processes, it is important to understand what the concerns are and what the Government can do to mitigate them.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady has previously raised a similar issue, saying that she did not trust the Prime Minister to get a deal. He has got a deal, and that deal includes unfettered access for those goods, which is why it will not be a threat to that trade. Quite rightly, where there are issues of concern—and particularly given the concern of the Chief Constable—we stand ready, both with the shadow Secretary of State and with others, to ensure that we work together to mitigate those concerns.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): We have heard this morning that the impact on trade with the rest of the world will be around 1%. The Government are in danger of losing and turning what was a practicality point into a political point unless they provide clarity. Will they release a list of indicative goods to which the EU customs code is likely to apply, in order to provide that clarity for DUP and Conservative colleagues?
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to write to my hon. Friend to see what further clarity can be provided, but I refer to the answer I gave a moment ago. These issues will apply at the end of the implementation period, as opposed to when the withdrawal agreement is ratified.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Macroeconomics
David Thomas Charles Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I am listening with great interest to what the right hon. Gentleman is saying. I do not share his perception of the economy and I am wondering whether he still believes that Venezuela offers a better economic model than that of my hon. Friends on the Front Bench.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Labor
Maria Colette Caulfield (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the shadow Chancellor for giving way. It is very generous of him The Labour party’s policy of a four-day week will reduce the earnings of the poorest workers in the country. Those are not my words, but the words of a Labour peer, Lord Skidelsky.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Macroeconomics
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman has said that the Conservatives look after their own, and I agree with him. That is why we have cut the taxes of 32 million working people. That is why we are cutting taxes on businesses that are generating growth and employment for the people of this country.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Macroeconomics
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I have been sitting here for the last 30 minutes or so listening to the shadow Chancellor, and I have to say, "The brass neck of the shadow Chancellor!" No mention of the jobs boom and rising wages; no mention of bringing the deficit down by four fifths; no mention of our huge investment in public services; and no support at all for this Queen’s Speech, which delivers on the people’s priorities and moves this country forward from a decade of recovery to a decade of renewal. It is a Queen’s Speech that backs our NHS with £34 billion a year of new investment by 2024, that backs law and order with 20,000 new police officers, that backs the next generation with £14 billion more funding so that every school has more money for every child, that takes great strides towards decarbonising our economy, and that boosts our economic infrastructure, increasing investment in roads, railways and energy.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: International Affairs
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): If the right hon. Gentleman bears with me, I will come on to that issue in just a moment We can only do all these things that I have just mentioned because of the strength of our economy and our commitment to fiscal responsibility, and because of the hard work of the British people over the last decade. We will not throw that away One of the most important measures in the Queen’s Speech is of course the withdrawal agreement Bill. Passing this Bill will allow us to get Brexit done, to focus on the people’s priorities and to move forward as a country And let me be clear about one thing: they said that we could not do it—they said that we would not be able to reopen the withdrawal agreement—and we did; they said that we would not be able to get rid of a backstop, and we did; they said that we would not be able to negotiate a better deal, and we did. And then they said that we would not get Parliament to support that deal, and, guess what, we did that too. They were wrong, wrong and wrong again, as they always are Let me address the issue raised by the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Sir Edward Davey) and the shadow Chancellor about concerns expressed in this House about the impact assessment of the deal. What Parliament is being asked to vote on is the withdrawal agreement, which covers the deal on the budget, citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland. The Government have already provided and published a full impact assessment; it is a shame that the shadow Chancellor has not even bothered to look at it yet. The political declaration lays the groundwork for our future relationship, and with those final details still to be negotiated the only thing blocking us from getting on with Brexit is the Labour party and its disposition to dither and delay. Once we leave the EU we will start those talks, and of course we will keep Parliament fully informed at every stage of the process.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Foreign Trade
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady was a fan of "Jackanory"; now I know why she joined the Labour party. It is all fitting into place On that point, some Members may point to the economic analysis, as the hon. Lady has, that was published by the Government in November of last year, but that document looks at the possible economic impact of a generic average free trade agreement; it does not represent the ambitious free trade agreement that we have agreed. We have agreed with the EU that both parties will have a deep, best-in-class free trade agreement that is far more ambitious on things like data exchange, tariffs, energy and financial services, and none of those benefits are captured in the Government’s previous modelling. So it is clear that what we need to do is this: end the dither and delay and move forward as a country.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Macroeconomics
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I would think that, being a member of a party that is called the Labour party, the hon. Lady would understand that the best way out of poverty for anyone is a growing economy that creates jobs. Since 2010 there are over 1 million fewer workless households—a record low—there are 730,000 fewer children living in workless households, also a record low, and there are 50,000 fewer households where no member has ever worked.