argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I will come back to that, and I acknowledge there has been significant success with more than 6 million people applying for the scheme, but yesterday I met the3million which, of all organisations, is the one that knows exactly what is happening on the ground and its implications. I will come to all sorts of problems that still exist in the scheme, and the whole purpose of this debate is to try to iron out those problems and to see what we can do to fix them. The point I was making is that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people are in a pretty difficult situation because of the fundamental design of this system. Whether it is tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, it is an extraordinary, painful and awful moment On Thursday morning, in contrast to the hon. Gentleman, I received my first email on this subject from somebody who applied late: "My mother is quite distressed, as she needed to apply for settled status by 30 June but did not think it applied to her, maybe in denial. She needed someone to help fill out the online forms and upload the documents. The OTP"—one-time PIN—"code did not arrive on her very old phone and, as well as tech issues, she has recently applied to renew her Italian passport. My dad thinks her Italian ID card will be sufficient. I just cannot believe that someone who has been here for 50 years and is married to a UK citizen has to go through this process. Also she is very worried that her cancer drug will be withdrawn." I am hopeful that the situation will be resolved, in exactly the way the hon. Gentleman was able to resolve it for his constituent, but what cannot be undone is the stress, anxiety and hurt that this whole process is causing people. That is just one of hundreds of such cases that we can all expect to see in the weeks, months and even years ahead. The vast majority of people will find it appalling, because it is unnecessary.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Christopher Charles Stephens (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): An Italian constituent has written to me and is very concerned about the lack of physical evidence, which they think will be problematic for future mortgage applications, banking, work and the rest of it. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government need to look at this and make sure that people have physical evidence of their settled status?
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): That is a good point, and it is not something I will speak too much about today, although I have spoken about it previously. I know other hon. Members will make that case, and they have my full support The scheme did not need to operate like this. There were different options available to the Government that would have prevented this disastrous cliff edge, or at least alleviated its worst impacts, and for which hon. Members on both sides of the House have advocated. My party passionately supported continued free movement. Alternatively, along with many Members on both sides of the House, we advocated a declaratory system in which an Act of Parliament would simply have declared that EU citizens resident at the required date retained the same rights as before, which would have provided far greater security and peace of mind. That, of course, is essentially what was promised during the EU referendum The now Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster all signed a pledge: "There will be no change for EU citizens already lawfully resident in the UK. These EU citizens will automatically be granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK and will be treated no less favourably than they are at present." Tell that to my constituent and the many others currently without their rights. That promise was simply reneged upon, despite its three authors occupying all the roles in Government required to deliver it. One of them should be at the Dispatch Box to explain exactly why the promise was not kept.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am absolutely not scaremongering. I spoke for about two hours yesterday to the3million, which I have repeatedly asked the Minister to meet, and I do not think he has yet. The organisation receives reports from EU nationals across the country who are encountering difficulties, some of which I will set out. I have already welcomed the fact that more than 6 million people have applied, and I will say a little more about that in a moment. I am not scaremongering; I am passing on what EU nationals are telling the3million and me On the other hand, the Government are saying that we should shout about and celebrate the success of the EU settlement scheme. As I have said, I praise the civil servants who have worked hard to ensure that more than 6 million applications have been processed and granted. The reason why tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people have fallen through the gap is not down to the civil servants, albeit that there have inevitably been rough edges and problems because of the fundamental flaws in the decisions made by the Home Secretary and her predecessors. In essence, they opened a horrible big trapdoor and they now want us to thank them for the fact that only tens or hundreds of thousands of people have fallen through it—potentially into the hostile environment.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I think the hon. Gentleman makes an absolutely fair point, but as I say, there are many different ways we could do this, and all I ask is that people engage with these ideas, rather than just dismiss them out of hand. At the very least, the Government should think again about the remote areas pilot scheme recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee, which the Government just promptly ditched without any sort of explanation at all, otherwise it will be clear that there is no prospect of Scotland having any real influence over these vital powers while it is part of the UK In the meantime, I believe we all want to protect EU citizens. We have offered our proposals. We believe that the status quo is fraught with a million problems. There needs to be action and significant changes if protection of EU citizens is to be a reality.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Minister knows full well that that is not what we are advocating. We are advocating a declaratory system with a system that provides proof, which would be the settlement scheme. The only difference is that we have the settlement scheme, but we also have the automaticity in law, which provides so much reassurance. It takes away so much of the stress and anxiety that this is causing to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of EU nationals.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): This is a fundamental point. The legal guarantees are absolutely very welcome, but, given that the guidance was published only a couple of weeks before the deadline, realistically how many employers, landlords and even public servants does the Minister think are remotely aware of what they need to do to check somebody who presents them with a certificate of application and a bit of digital code? What are the Government doing to monitor that and to take action to make sure that there is greater awareness?
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): All the work to encourage looked-after children to have applications made on their behalf is absolutely welcome, but an issue that I did not have time to touch on was that some of these kids might actually be entitled to register as British citizens. Can we make sure that people are not missing out on their entitlement to British citizenship and going for settled status instead?
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I think we have come to the crux of the argument here, in that the guidance about late applications is pretty generous—it is much more generous than it could have been, and that is welcome—but if the Government will go that far, why not just remove the reasonable grounds from the application altogether? Who exactly do they want to be able to refuse on the ground of being unreasonably late? Why not just scrap that test altogether?
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): For goodness’ sake. We do not have a hard border with the Republic of Ireland, and we see that system all across the planet—in Canada, Spain, Switzerland and various other countries. The Isle of Man has immigration powers. It is perfectly reasonable to ask for some immigration powers to be handed down and to take part in that discussion, rather than this nonsense about a hard border at Berwick.
Voter ID — House of Commons, 2021-05-26
Topic: Civil Rights
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am grateful for the opportunity to present this petition. Several of my constituents have recently been in contact about their concerns about the British Government’s proposed legislation for voter ID. I therefore rise to present this petition on behalf of my Glasgow East constituents who wish to see the Government abandon plans to introduce voter ID The petition states: The petition of residents of the Glasgow East constituency, Declares that the current statistics on voter fraud show that it is incredibly rare and that this is no widespread problem across the UK, thus voter ID requirements are a solution in search of a problem; further that the only type of fraud that photographic voter IDs could prevent is voter impersonation, which is even more rare each year; further that this legislation has been described as draconian, archaic and anti-democratic as it puts a qualification on the franchise; further that the real consequence of this legislation will be this Government suppressing voting among lower income, ethnic minority, and younger people, all of whom are less likely to vote for the party now in Government; further that, in contrast to this archaic Government, the SNP Government in Holyrood is focused on measures to extend the franchise and encourage turnout; further that the SNP has already introduced votes for 16 and 17-year-olds, refugees, and foreign nationals with leave to remain; and further that voting should be made as easy as possible with no barrier to contributing to democracy. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to dismiss any plans to implement legislation that enforces voter IDs And the petitioners remain, etc [P002666]
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-06-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Public and Commercial Services union has been clear that the rush back to face-to-face assessments poses a serious risk to vulnerable claimants and staff alike. Given those concerns, I was quite surprised to learn that the Secretary of State has not personally met the PCS union in her nearly two years in office. Will she do better than just commend DWP staff for their tireless work throughout the pandemic and actually meet the union that represents those staff to listen to their serious concerns about safety?
Loss of Secret Documents — House of Commons, 2021-06-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to update the House on the leak of classified and sensitive documents from the Ministry of Defence.
Martin John Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): There was certainly something of Le Carré in the faintly absurd discovery of these soggy documents behind a bus stop in the garden of England. I do not think that we can help but notice the general context. The documents were discovered in the same week in which a more serious security breach—that of confidential CCTV images from a Whitehall Ministry, which leaves many of us unsure and distrustful of the motives of those involved. The whole thing reminds me of one of my favourite Le Carré quotes: "Cheats, liars and criminals may resist every blandishment while respectable gentlemen have been moved to appalling treasons by watery cabbage in a departmental canteen." Does the Minister accept that many of us are worried about these episodes and what they say about the decline of standards in public life? I do not mean the quality of the cabbage served up in the canteen of Main Building.
Loss of Secret Documents — House of Commons, 2021-06-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to update the House on the leak of classified and sensitive documents from the Ministry of Defence.
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): This latest breach further demonstrates why the Government are not trusted with data. From the NHS data grab and the Home Office’s loss of 15,000 arrest records to losing details of thousands of covid cases in a track and trace Excel spreadsheet, and now this—how can the Minister reassure the public that breaches of this severity will not happen in future? When will the Government publish details of a more comprehensive and robust investigation into wider security practices?
Security of Ministers’ Offices and Communications — House of Commons, 2021-06-28
Topic: Civil Rights
Joanna Catherine Cherry (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Our Prime Minister has had to have his phone wrested from him by the security services for conducting Government business by WhatsApp, and now a Health Secretary has been using his Gmail for official purposes. Can the Minister please answer the second question posed by the right hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) and confirm to us that it would be a criminal offence for any Minister to destroy communications they have made about Government business on private emails or private messaging apps for the purpose of defeating the ends of justice regarding our freedom of information request or, indeed, defeating the ends of justice in any future inquiry into the covid crisis?
Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I note the Minister’s comments that directors can be held personally liable, but does he accept that allowing an individual investor or creditor to sue a director at their own risk is very different from a scheme through which the Government or some other body effectively take that legal action on behalf of a group of aggrieved individuals, who individually cannot afford the risk of taking that action?
Ajax Programme — House of Commons, 2021-06-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): In addition to issues with the Ajax programme, the Government are still struggling to get on top of the massive black hole in their equipment plan, with the most recent report from the National Audit Office having found that it "remains unaffordable" for "the fourth successive year". That is another warning from the NAO that has not been properly heeded by this Government, and the plan is up to £13 billion overdrawn. What plans does the Secretary of State have to plug the huge financial black hole?
Compensation (London Capital & Finance plc and Fraud Compensation Fund) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
James Neale Hanvey (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I would like to ask the right hon. Gentleman’s view about a couple in my Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency who invested £10,000 each—or £20,000 in total—and did so because the FCA backed the scheme. They feel that the real responsibility lies with FCA and the derogation of its responsibility in ignoring warning signs, while many responsible lenders such as them have lost money they can ill afford to lose. Does he not find it, as I do, a bit rich for the Minister now to say that the Government cannot back every scheme when actually the regulator was at fault in encouraging other people, as he has just said, to invest in that scheme?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2021-07-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Owen George Thompson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I listened very carefully to the Minister when he was saying that, for events where large numbers are likely to gather together and be mixing with people from outside their own household, deploying the pass would be the right thing to do. Given that, and to ensure that we keep in step with the public, do the Government intend that to apply here? Might they even reserve the right to mandate the adoption of the pass in this place, or is this another example of us and them?
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee — House of Commons, 2021-07-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Congratulations on being in your place, Madam Deputy Speaker It is quite clear to the Committee that levelling up is really just a political slogan. There are no clear ways of measuring outcomes, and there is no clear avenue or looking ahead on funding streams. Of real concern to me is this phrase, "levelling up across the UK". The Chair will understand that the Scottish Parliament is there for a reason, which is that Westminster was not delivering for Scotland or the other devolved nations At the moment, the way the levelling-up funds are going to be distributed is by the UK Government’s withholding the equivalent in Barnett consequentials to allocate that amount directly to Scottish local authorities, pitting them against each other. Convention shows that it should be the Scottish Government, in conjunction with local authorities, who decide their priorities. Does the Chair agree that, as a Committee recommendation, the UK Government should be working with the Scottish Government transparently on the allocation of funds, and should let the Scottish Government distribute these funds by the conventional method?
Government Response to Covid-19: Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-22
Topic: Other
James Neale Hanvey (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I agree that scrutiny must be done, but if I cannot get a sensible answer from a Minister at the Dispatch Box, am given glib replies and am not provided with the information that I have rightly requested, that makes scrutiny almost impossible.
Summer Adjournment — House of Commons, 2021-07-22
Topic: Other
Christopher Charles Stephens (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Yes I do, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for the regular work he does in highlighting those issues As I said, this recess is not a holiday but a recess and I pay tribute to the parliamentary staff and constituency office staff of every single Member of this House; they have worked extremely hard. I pay particular tribute to Justina, Greg, Dominique, Keith, Scott, Tony and the great Roza Salih who leads the Glasgow South West team superbly, and I hope that all hon. Members of the House will have a good summer.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-06-30
Topic: Immigration
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I join you, Mr Speaker, in wishing Ian Davis all the best for his retirement and thank him for the service that he has given to the Scots Guards and in this House. He has truly been a friend and a sane voice to give guidance to those of us on these Benches when we have needed it, and I thank him very much for that Can I congratulate England on their victory last night and wish them all the best in the tournament ahead? Of course, they have done well: they have won most of their matches, with the exception of the game against Scotland, where they failed to even score a goal —nae luck In July 2019, the Prime Minister gave an unequivocal guarantee to EU nationals living in the UK. He said that they "will have the absolute certainty of the right to live and remain." Less than two years later, hundreds of thousands of EU nationals have been left in limbo, including thousands of children. While the settlement scheme deadline falls today, we know there are hundreds of thousands of unprocessed cases. It is simply unacceptable that their rights will be diminished by the failures of this Government. Will the Prime Minister honour his word, give certainty, and scrap the disastrous settled status deadline before we face another Tory Windrush?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-06-30
Topic: Immigration
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The issue is that there is a backlog of hundreds of thousands of cases because of delays on decisions. Overnight, thousands of our friends and neighbours could become illegal immigrants. They are living in fear for their jobs, their families and their livelihoods, all because this Prime Minister will not keep his word. We know all too well the experience of this Government’s Home Office: dawn raids, vulnerable people deported, and a hostile environment for the Windrush generation Scotland’s message to EU citizens is: you are welcome here, we want you to stay, this is your home, but this UK Government are causing EU citizens untold stress. One woman who has been in the UK for 44 years says she feels suicidal. Another says she feels like a third-rate citizen. This is shameful. Will the Government now do the right thing and scrap the deadline and introduce automatically granted settled status, or will the Prime Minister’s legacy be the ridiculous removal of NHS staff, our local community workers, our teachers and many more who have made their homes here?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-06-30
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): On Friday, I visited David McCutcheon, the chief executive of Bullet Express, which is a haulage firm in the Baillieston area of my constituency. Everybody in this House knows that there have been huge problems with the shortage of HGV drivers in this country, and that has only been compounded further by Brexit. So I have a simple question for the Prime Minister: why can we not add HGV drivers to the UK shortage occupation list?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-06-30
Topic: Mixed Topics
Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Due to the Prime Minister’s failure to maintain strict border quarantine and the delay in adding India to the red list, cases of the delta variant are surging across the UK. As well as a marked regional variation, the biggest ongoing impact is on sectors such as hospitality, entertainment and aviation. So, rather than starting to reduce financial support from tomorrow, will the Prime Minister extend full furlough and business support beyond September, particularly for those geographical areas and businesses that are most affected?