argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman knows that the gender pay gap has narrowed again under this Government. For workers under the age of 40 it has almost been eliminated. He also knows that there are more systemic reasons for the continuing pay gap between men and women. Part of that is about the inspiration and advice that our young women get when they are at school. I am talking about the options, the careers and the subjects that they should be taking. That is a long-term systemic problem, which is part of the reason why, as Secretary of State for Education, I announced before Christmas that we were backing an independent careers enterprise company.
Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Mary MacLeod (Conservative, Centre-right): This Government have made the most progress ever on increasing the numbers of women on boards, but does the Secretary of State agree that it is still unacceptable to have only five female chief executives in the FTSE 100? Does she believe, as I do, that there is more to be done on the executive pipeline?
Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much agree with my hon. Friend. We need only 24 more women on boards to reach Lord Davies’ target of 25% of women on FTSE 100 boards. We now have no all-male boards in the FTSE 100. It is important to bear in mind that not all women want to become FTSE 100 board directors, but we should ensure that equality of opportunity goes right the way through all our workplaces.
Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much agree that transparency is extremely important, which is why this Government have backed the Think, Act, Report initiative that encourages companies to think very hard about equality and diversity, including pay, right the way through their organisations. We now have more than 270 employers signed up covering 2.5 million employees.
Female Bishops — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the appointment by the Church of England of its first female bishop; and if she will make a statement.
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question and I congratulate Libby Lane on becoming the new Bishop of Stockport and the first female bishop in the Church of England. I am delighted to see the Church of England moving into the 21st century, at least in this respect.
Female Bishops — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the appointment by the Church of England of its first female bishop; and if she will make a statement.
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): I do agree with my hon. Friend. Role models such as Libby Lane are very important, which is why the Government are supporting schemes such as "Your Life" and "Inspiring Women", which is led by the formidably impressive lawyer, Miriam Gonzales. I believe that her husband has a job, too, but I think we can all agree that she is the role model in that family.
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): The gender pay gap is at its narrowest ever and has been entirely eliminated among full-time workers under the age of 40. Of course the gender pay gap is still too wide, which is why we are closing it further by encouraging girls and young women to consider a wider range of careers, including well-paid careers in technology and engineering.
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend. Successful businesses know that they cannot afford to miss out on the talents and experiences of half our population, and the Government are working closely with business on that, especially through the Women’s Business Council, which was established by this Government in 2012. We are helping businesses to ensure that women can fully contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): It is great that the pay gap has been eradicated for women under the age of 40, but if a woman happens to be aged between 40 and 49, the pay gap is 13.9%, and if they are aged between 50 and 59, it is over 18%. That is clearly unacceptable. Will the Minister now direct her attention towards ensuring the eradication of the pay gap for those aged over 40?
Under-occupancy Penalty: Disabled People — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Housing
Mark James Harper (Conservative, Centre-right): The spare room subsidy is about ensuring that the same rules apply in the social housing sector as in the private sector. Of course, the hon. Gentleman will know that the Government have made available significant amounts of discretionary housing payments so that local authorities can deal with cases in which they think the specific circumstances are appropriate.
Under-occupancy Penalty: Disabled People — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Housing
Mark James Harper (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is a little churlish in his response to my answer. I have looked at the discretionary housing payment guidance in significant detail and it gives local authorities complete discretion. Local authorities are the ones considering specific cases and they are in possession of all the facts. I trust them to make good, sensible decisions.
Backbench Business — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Colleagues will be aware that two debates are to take place today. It might be for the convenience of the House to know that both are heavily subscribed and, although there is no formal limit on the opening speech, on the strength of discussion with other occupants of the Chair and reflection this morning in our meeting about the business of the House for the day, I feel it necessary to say to the House that the opening speech should be self-contained and as self-disciplined as possible—10 minutes if possible, but certainly no more than 15. The former Minister opening the debate is an immensely accomplished parliamentarian and I know that he can tailor his remarks accordingly. We look forward to hearing those remarks.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
Anne Margaret Main (Conservative, Centre-right): It is fantastic that my right hon. Friend has brought this debate before the House, and I was pleased to support him at the Backbench Business Committee. Does he recall that when we made our presentation to the Committee its members were surprised that this was still going on, after such a long time? That is the crux of today’s debate: now is the time.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alistair James Hendrie Burt (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend has been a doughty campaigner on this issue, and I have been grateful to her for her support. Let me put some flesh on what she has just said and on those figures. I will start with Hayden. His wife wrote to a friend of mine and said: "I would dearly like to see an end to the campaigning and put this issue to bed. There needs to be an apology, there needs to be a big overhaul of the various Trusts… definitely not to make you feel as though you are going ‘cap in hand’ to them. That’s disgraceful. I want to go to Hayden’s grave and say once and for all ‘it’s sorted.’ Then I will know he is resting in peace."
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alistair James Hendrie Burt (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right that many beneficiaries have expressed deep concern about the workings of the trust. The all-party group report that came out yesterday will be addressed by other colleagues. On the MacFarlane Trust in particular he should know that I share his concerns. I do not believe that that trust is salvageable or saveable, and I will speak about that later.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
Alistair James Hendrie Burt (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his kind remarks and I appreciate them very much. Yes, one thing we were told in our meetings in April was that people are sick of coming to Parliament. They have been coming for many years and many of them will feel that even today, but this is the best we can do as Members of Parliament. We know that those on both Front Benches are listening.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Zac Goldsmith (Conservative, Centre-right): I must admit that this issue was not on the radar for me until recently, when I had a discussion with a constituent who was one of three siblings all of whom were contaminated as a consequence of this blunder. I want to put on record my gratitude for the work that my right hon. Friend has done and my support for this campaign. I wish him all the best and all my support as it progresses.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Alistair James Hendrie Burt (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for her kind words, and I agree with her. I will come to the trust invested in us in a moment, but, given the effort that has been put in, the work being done by Members on both Front Benches and the acknowledgement that we all share this responsibility, perhaps there is a chance that we will get to where we want to be Mr Speaker has been very generous with time, so let me finish. Last week, on the day that we circulated information about today’s debate to the community, I received the following e-mail, which was addressed to all of us as MPs: "Thank you for your continued persistence in this issue. I wish to continue to be informed of any developments but I am very bitter that my husband of 21 years who got Hep C as a child from being a Haemophiliac sadly lost his fight and passed away yesterday after years of suffering due to Hep C. He never had an apology for all the years of ill health, he was a fighter right up to the end but it was also a fight he should never have had to deal with. Again on behalf of my husband, my daughter and myself thank you for your continued support and I hope a speedy result is had for those who still continue to struggle with the physical and mental stress this situation has caused." Finally, a friend who was told as a child that he had HIV and hep C, and a life expectancy of four years if he was lucky, says: "I find each and every day is like being on death row for a crime I didn’t commit. I long for the day that I can wake up in the morning and not have to fight the Gov’t for the right to have a better life. Imagine what it’s like to believe for years that what we have been given was an accident. The medical staff constantly told us ‘it was an unavoidable accident’ only for us to learn the truth for ourselves. Where did my human rights go at 12 years old. And WHY do I still not have any When you are stripped of your pride, your dignity, your finances, your job, career, your future, what do you have left? Your spirit and your fight, that’s what. Which is why we will be sitting there on Thursday and we will keep coming back until justice is done or the last one of us dies." As MPs, we have been privileged to be given the deepest, most personal details of these people and their loved ones. Some of us have been given family medical records, people’s deepest, darkest secrets and their hopes and fears. We have been privileged to have that. The words "devastation" and "struggle" appear far too often in the stories we deal with. We are not talking about a tiny handful of people, but about thousands who still feel wronged. As Members on both Front Benches prepare for an election, let us ensure that this Parliament as a whole remains committed to providing, finally, the best closure for those who trust us to do so.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. In order to try to accommodate everyone who wishes to contribute to this important debate, I have thought it necessary to impose, with immediate effect, a seven-minute limit on Back-Bench speeches. Such limit may have to be reviewed, probably downwards, in the course of the debate.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jane Ellison (Conservative, Centre-right): I will come on to why I do not entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman, but my concern is essentially that after families have endured so much, I would hate to tell them the way forward only for that to be unpicked and revisited in the light of any recommendations by Penrose. I am afraid that I do not agree with him, because it is important to consider the report.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Julian Richard Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I will give way later. The Commission itself has consulted carefully on the issue, and that consultation will be coming to a conclusion shortly. On the NHS, the chair of the all-party group, the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne, has had a letter from the European Commission. It says that, "we can already state with confidence that any ISDS provisions in TTIP could have no impact on the UK sovereign right to make changes to the NHS." Our Government have made it clear that there is no threat to the NHS from TTIP. The focus is on allowing innovation between companies in the EU and the US on health-related issues. It is not about changing policy on free-at-the-point-of-delivery national services.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Mixed Topics
Sarah James (Wollaston) (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed, and that is the point that we want to make clear The concern is legitimate and if the NHS were threatened by TTIP we should be explicit about that, but it is not. We need to be clear about that and it would be helpful if Opposition Members withdrew the insinuation that is constantly being put out to our constituents that this is a conspiracy to do so I also pressed the Commission on whether it would be sensible for the Government explicitly to ask to exclude the NHS, and it could not have been clearer that it was not necessary because it was going to do so itself. May we please bring that aspect of the debate to an end and focus on the issues that matter?
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
Sarah James (Wollaston) (Conservative, Centre-right): To reassure the hon. Lady, it was not that I said the definition should exist, but that I was reassured by Jean-Luc Demarty that it would exist. It is about who funds the service, not who provides it.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
Robin Caspar Walker (Conservative, Centre-right): Let me reassure the hon. Gentleman that I agree with him completely; I am always glad of the opportunity to put the correct facts to my constituents. The problem occurs where a group is misleading its own members, and I do think it is legitimate to raise concerns about that, especially where a Select Committee has been misled on a number of occasions.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — House of Commons, 2015-01-15
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. Before the Minister replies, if the hon. Gentleman has not been in the Chamber for the debate, and I judge by the mood of the House that that might well be the case, he should think carefully before intervening on the Minister and taking up time.
Political and Constitutional Reform — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): A happy new year to you Mr Speaker and to colleagues As the hon. Gentleman knows, I have led the negotiations for a city deal and a local growth deal with Birmingham. The city deal has already delivered almost 3,000 apprenticeships in the city and established the Institute of Translational Medicine, which opens in the summer. The growth deal invests a third of a billion pounds in road, rail and metro improvements, including links from the black country to the new HS2 station, as well as investing in skills and industrial facilities.
Political and Constitutional Reform — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Civil Rights
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the political and constitutional reforms that would most benefit the people of Birmingham, as well as the people in North Wiltshire and elsewhere in England, would be the early introduction of English votes on English matters?
Political and Constitutional Reform — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Civil Rights
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman knows this area; we have debated it before. It is incumbent on all of us to encourage people to vote. Now that we have individual electoral registration, it is easier than ever before for young people to register; they just need to go to the website. Over the next few months, we need to encourage all citizens, especially young people, to exercise that right.
Political and Constitutional Reform — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): We are talking about devolving power to local people, but money is power. When my constituents find out that the central Government block grant for Birmingham is £640 per person when a combined grant for Leicestershire is £240 per person, the reform they will call for is fairer funding for rural areas.
Local Growth Deals (Lancashire) — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): The second phase of local growth deals proposed by Lancashire local enterprise partnership includes a scheme to regenerate the largest redundant mill complex in the county, Brierfield Mill. That scheme is in my constituency and I have raised and discussed it in detail with the Minister. Although I appreciate that he will be receiving many invitations from colleagues across the House to visit their constituencies, may I encourage him to visit Brierfield Mill at the earliest opportunity to see the exciting plans we have?
Regional Growth Fund — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): That is complete nonsense. The record of job creation over the course of this Parliament shows that the vast majority of jobs have been created outside London. One thing we negotiated was a city deal with the city of Glasgow that was well received in that great city.
Local Growth Deals — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): Funding for the local growth deals begins in April this year, but strong progress is being made in implementing the deals even in advance of this. In Gloucestershire the growth hub, which gives advice and support to small businesses, opened at the university of Gloucestershire in October and is already being well used by local businesses.
Local Growth Deals — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is absolutely right that the university of Gloucestershire’s growth hub in the city of Gloucester is making real progress already. May I invite my right hon. Friend to visit it and, while he is there, to take the opportunity to see our exciting plans for the regeneration of Blackfriars in the city centre, which are a key feature of our LEP’s next bid?
Local Growth Deals — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson) was right to predict a spate of invitations. Of course I will come and visit the new growth hub in Gloucester in the company of my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham).
Local Growth Deals — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: I thank the Minister for the Medway growth deal, which is providing over £30 million to the local area. At the heart of the growth is the development of skilled people. Will he join me in welcoming South East LEP’s new skills capital fund, which is using £22 million for the further education sector to help provide the skills our businesses need to grow?
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I will indeed. The Medway towns have benefited substantially from the growth deal, which is investing in the skills that are required if the jobs of the future are to be well paid and offer the satisfying careers that people want locally.
Devolution of Power (Cities) — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): Cities and their surrounding counties and districts prosper together, which is why I am delighted that the Plymouth city deal, signed last year, also includes businesses and councils in Devon and Cornwall. By opening up South Yard in Devonport to create a commercial marine engineering centre, high-quality jobs will be created not only in Plymouth, but across the south-west.
Devolution of Power (Cities) — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Oliver Newton Colvile (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for coming down to Plymouth to sign our city deal this time last year. Plans for a maritime industrial campus are at a good stage, and we would very much welcome his coming down to have a look at them. To give an extra boost to that city deal proposal, I urge him also to speak with the Treasury about ensuring that we have an enterprise zone in that part of the dockyard.
Devolution of Power (Cities) — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I am keen to see South Yard be a success—I am certain that it will be. Many of the advantages of an enterprise zone are already available to councils, through simplified planning rules and discounts on business rates, but I will of course study my hon. Friend’s proposal in detail.
Electoral Roll — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Samuel Phillip Gyimah (Conservative, Centre-right): Research by the Electoral Commission on the completeness and accuracy of the register shows that the decline in registration levels between 2000 and 2010 has stabilised since 2011. The Government take seriously the need to have a complete and accurate register, are making electoral registration more accessible through online registration and have invested £4.2 million, shared between every local authority and five national organisations, to get those in harder-to-reach groups on the register.
Electoral Roll — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Samuel Phillip Gyimah (Conservative, Centre-right): The full December register has not been published yet so it is impossible to tell the state of the register as at December. As the hon. Gentleman knows, individual electoral registration is a two-year project. We are mid-way through it and it is proving very successful. Nine out of 10 electors were transferred to the electoral register, and online registration is proving very successful. [Official Report, 21 January 2015, Vol. 591, c. 1-2MC.]
Electoral Roll — House of Commons, 2015-01-06
Topic: Immigration
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): Many thousands of east Europeans have chosen to come to live and work in this country. The register published in my constituency shows some 3,000 east Europeans who are not qualified to vote, yet some 4,000 people with similar names are shown as eligible to vote in the general election. Will my hon. Friend order an urgent review of this to make sure that only those who are eligible to vote can do so at the election?