argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration: Economic Effect — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the potential economic effect on Wales of the adoption of the EU Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration.; What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the potential economic effect on Wales of the adoption of the EU Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration.; In June, Wales exported £10.2 billion-worth of goods to the EU. The viability of manufacturing in Wales relies on frictionless trade with the EU. The Prime Minister’s deal gives no assurances to Welsh businesses—it just gives us buzzwords and more uncertainty—so when will the Secretary of State start doing his job and stand up for businesses in Wales?
Christina Elizabeth Rees (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Minister to his place. On 2 May, the Secretary of State told the House that "we are keen to negotiate to allow for the most frictionless trade possible with the European Union."—[Official Report, 2 May 2018; Vol. 640, c. 300.] Why does the term "frictionless trade" not appear in the political declaration?
Business Growth — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Transportation
Questions: Diolch, Mr Speaker. Many premises in Ceredigion are still awaiting confirmation of whether they will be in scope for the next phase of the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru scheme. Will the Secretary of State ensure that his Government’s Wales superfast broadband programme and “outside-in” initiative give priority to premises that may find themselves beyond the scope of the Welsh Government’s scheme?
Christian John Patrick Matheson (Labour, Centre-left): Business growth in north Wales is being choked off by congestion on the M56, on my side of the border. Will the Secretary of State sit down with the Transport Secretary to work out when it will be upgraded?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I join you, Mr Speaker, and the Prime Minister in welcoming Sammy Woodhouse to Parliament today. It is an act typical of your generosity to refer to her presence in the Gallery today, so that others may be emboldened to deal with the horrors of the rape crisis we face I also express our sympathies to the family of Luke Griffin from Merseyside, who was killed in Kabul last week alongside five fellow G4S workers who were Afghan nationals. Luke had previously served in 16th Regiment, Royal Artillery While we debate the critical issue of Brexit, we must not neglect the crisis facing millions of people across our country. Last week, I wrote to the Prime Minister about the scathing report by the UN special rapporteur on this Government’s brutal policies towards the poorest in Britain. As of now, I have received no reply from the Prime Minister. When she read the report, what shocked her more: the words the UN used, or the shocking reality of rising poverty in Britain?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): It could be that the Prime Minister does not agree with the report because it contains an unpalatable truth. The new Work and Pensions Secretary seems to have taken lessons from her and created a hostile environment for those who are claiming benefits. One of the Government’s policies which is causing the greatest anxiety and poverty is universal credit. The UN rapporteur, Professor Alston, said it was "fast falling into universal discredit" When will the Prime Minister demonstrate some of her professed concern about burning injustices and halt the roll-out of universal credit?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Prime Minister might care to cast her eyes over the report from the Trussell Trust, which said that "the only way to prevent even more people being forced to foodbanks this winter is to pause all new claims to Universal Credit." The UN also called for the five-week wait to be scrapped. In the coming weeks, universal credit is being rolled out in Anglesey, Blackpool, Milton Keynes and parts of Liverpool, London and Glasgow. There is a risk that people will be left with no money at Christmas. If the Prime Minister will not halt the roll-out of universal credit, will she at least immediately end the five-week wait?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Macroeconomics
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The chief economist of the Bank of England describes the last decade as a "lost decade" for wages. [Interruption.] The Prime Minister might laugh at this, but it is the reality of people’s lives; it is the reality—[Interruption.]
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): When I hear a Prime Minister talking about difficult decisions, what always happens afterwards, in these contexts, is that the poorest in our society lose out. Some 4.3 million disabled people are now in poverty; 50,000 were hit by appalling cuts to the employment and support allowance benefit alone last year. This Government labelled disabled people as "scroungers" and called those unable to work "skivers"—[Hon. Members: "Withdraw!"]
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): This Government also created a hostile environment for the Windrush generation. When the UN rapporteur said: "British compassion for those who are suffering has been replaced by a punitive, mean-spirited, and…callous approach", he could not have summed up this contemptible Government any better. Child poverty is rising; homelessness—rising; destitution—rising; household debt—rising. When will the Prime Minister turn her warm words into action, end the benefit freeze, repeal the bedroom tax, scrap the two-child cap and halt the roll-out of universal credit?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Home Secretary for giving way. The legal advice released this morning makes it clear that the protocol does not provide for a mechanism that is likely to enable the UK lawfully to exit the UK-wide customs union without a subsequent agreement. It goes on to say: "This remains the case even if parties are still negotiating many years later, and if the parties believe that talks have clearly broken down and there is no prospect of a future relationship agreement." Does that not undermine the point that he made a moment ago when he argued that this arrangement was not sustainable in the long term because of the limitations of article 50? The advice of the Attorney General is that it is going to last.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Law and Crime
David George Hanson (Labour, Centre-left): Could the Secretary of State point me to the pages in the document that he has published that give guarantees on our continued membership of Europol, Eurojust and the European arrest warrant? As a former Home Office Minister, I can tell him that they are critical to the safety of our citizens, but they are absent from the document.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Katherine Anne Green (Labour, Centre-left): Can the Home Secretary confirm that if we are out of the European arrest warrant and unable to put any identical arrangement in place, a number of countries will be unable in future, under their own constitution, to extradite their nationals to this country?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Diane Julie Abbott (Labour, Centre-left): They could be continued—my point is that there is nothing definite in the deal that we are being presented with in the House that would make sure that they were continued. On the question of security, assertions, aspirations and a wishlist are not enough—we need a treaty.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Diane Julie Abbott (Labour, Centre-left): I will come to that point, but I will say now that the Prime Minister’s red lines, one of which was the ECJ, may well prove to have been reckless. The EU insists on treaty arrangements governing key aspects of international security, justice and policing, as do we. Without a treaty, courts have no legal basis to implement arrest or extradition warrants and cannot allow third countries access to criminal and other databases. We are on course to become a third country in our relationship with the EU. Because there is no security treaty planned or even aimed for in the exit documents, the level of co-operation between the UK and the EU post Brexit could be severely and unavoidably downgraded Ministers will be aware that neither France nor Germany will automatically extradite to non-EU countries—their constitutions say that. There will be a mutual loss of the use of the European arrest warrant, and the UK will no longer be able to access the Europol database in real time. In addition, as a third country, the UK’s access to databases of criminal records, fingerprints, DNA and missing and wanted persons will be compromised. Ministers promise a future security partnership between this country and the EU. However, the assurance on access to SIS II and the European criminal records information system is only that "the UK and the EU have agreed to consider further how to deliver capabilities that, as far as technically and legally possible, approximate those enabled by EU mechanisms" That is not the same as assuring us of the same level of co-operation that we have today. In relation to the European arrest warrant, there is not even that promise. On passenger name records and the exchange of DNA, fingerprints, and vehicle registration, the agreement says: "The UK and the EU have agreed to establish reciprocal arrangements" It does not say that they have established reciprocal arrangements; it is a wish for the future. However, without appeal and oversight by a court—that role is currently played by the ECJ—all these things could be subject to legal challenge in practice.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Diane Julie Abbott (Labour, Centre-left): No, I need to make progress. In addition, on the EU agencies Europol and Eurojust, about which Members have made interventions, the deal says: "The UK and the EU have agreed, as part of the FSP, to work together to identify the terms for the UK’s cooperation via Europol and Eurojust." Working together to identify the terms is not the same as a guarantee of the same access and co-operation that we have today. As these are EU agencies, they are not in principle open to non-member states. Again, if that were to change, the legal basis for that would require a treaty.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Diane Julie Abbott (Labour, Centre-left): I need to make progress The practical effects would be severe. Last year, the UK law enforcement agencies accessed SIS II checks 500 million times. UK authorities requested access to criminal records 3,000 times a week. The danger is that extradition arrangements would fall back on the 1957 European convention on extradition, which proved extremely time-consuming and cumbersome. Most members of the Council of Europe have reserved rights or derogations under the convention, limiting its effect. At worst, the gaps and loopholes created under this exit agreement could create a situation in which organised criminals and terrorists in the EU might come to regard the UK as a relative safe haven from justice. Under this agreement, absent any significant change to the issues I have enumerated, ongoing co-operation in cases and investigations may ultimately be compromised. On the basis of security concerns alone, no Member of the House should be signing off this deal.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Ronnie Campbell (Labour, Centre-left): How can I follow that? That is exactly what I was going to say Coming back to reality, when I first saw this treaty I knew what I was going to do. I was going to vote against it, and obviously I have not changed my mind. A lot of people who were perhaps going to vote for it have changed their mind and are now not going to vote for it. We have a treaty here that the Government will try to pass on Tuesday—I do not think they will pass it—and they have all the negotiations to do afterwards. They have to negotiate on the fisheries, but I am not sure about the fisheries because we have sacked all the fishermen. We are going to get all this water, but we have no fishermen to fish it, because they have all gone. We have made them all redundant, and we have got rid of their boats As we have heard, it is imperative that we have a deal with the EU on the law and the security of this country. We have not got one, yet we are expected to vote on Tuesday. No wonder nobody is going to vote for this deal. What is going to happen after the deal? What will happen when we turn it down? Where will we go from there? I am not going to vote for a no deal, as it would be criminal if we came out of the EU without any sort of deal. There is no chance of me voting for a no deal if that comes on to the Floor of the House. So where do we go from there? What happens if this House cannot make its mind up and decide? I do not like referendums, because everybody then wants another one, as we have seen in Holland, France and Germany, and with the Scots. They all wanted another one. It is hard for me to say, "Well, if this House cannot agree and make a decision, we are going to have to ask the people." I do not want a referendum, because I do not believe in them, but we did have one. There is something about referendums, because people did vote in this one—they voted to leave. Of course the Tories keep telling me that, and they are right to say that. What happens if we have a referendum and the result is the same percentage voting to remain after that? Do the leavers march the streets, with banners, and say, "We want another one"?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Ronnie Campbell (Labour, Centre-left): We have had democracy, and democracy said that we were leaving. Yet again, it appears that democracy is only where we have two referendums, and that is just not on. We must take the result of the first referendum and stick by it Turning back to the treaty, which is not very good, we will be in the backstop for donkey’s years. Do we think the EU is going to let us out of the backstop? Of course it will not. As for the negotiators in Europe on the matters that have not been negotiated, I would not trust them as far as I could throw them. If we did accept this deal on Tuesday, they would just throw it all away and say, "There you are. We’ve got ’em. Leave it the way it is." That is the situation Parliament is in. [Interruption.] Of course I want a general election, but I know that turkeys do not like an early Christmas, so we are not going to have one. We have to get two thirds and we will never get two thirds out of that side—we will get it from these Benches; we will get a two-thirds vote, but they will not, and so we will never get it. As I say, these are interesting times. One Prime Minister said that a week in politics is a long time, but two days is now a long time.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Government Operations
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, following the Welsh devolution debate, there was no requirement for a public inquiry into the funding of the various campaigns? A number of years have elapsed since that vote. There was not, at that time, the technological advances and the questionable use of Facebook and other social media, so it is not really comparing apples with apples.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Environment
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): It is pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith), who I know prizes the environment highly, although he did not mention it in his speech, perhaps because it might not have gone along with his argument today, as he is a leaver.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Education
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that this is also having a huge impact on children? I recently met such children at a primary school, and their parents are unsure about their future, let alone about where their children will be going to school.
Delegated Legislation — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: International Affairs
Vernon Coaker (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I understand that Privy Counsellors are to have a briefing on the implications of the deal under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. If the potential impact of no deal with respect to civil contingencies is regarded as important enough for Privy Counsellors to have a briefing about it, what will we do to ensure that Parliament hears the content of this privileged briefing for certain Members only?
Funding of the Avon and Somerset Police Force — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Kerry Gillian McCarthy (Labour, Centre-left): The petition has been supported, online and on paper, by more than 1,000 of my constituents. It calls for more funding for Avon and Somerset police force. In the past four years, recorded crime in the Avon and Somerset police area has risen by 40%, with violent crime rising by a shocking 75%, but the number of charges being brought has fallen. The petition states: The petition of constituents of Bristol East constituency, Declares that Avon and Somerset Police have already had to make £65 million of cuts since 2010, with the loss of nearly 700 front line police officers; and further that The Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable have now warned in their report "The Tipping Point" that the force cannot sustain any further cuts- as proposed by the Government—without extremely serious consequences The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to give Avon and Somerset Police the resources they need to police our streets, prevent crime and protect the public And the petitioners remain etc [P002302]
South Western Railway Franchise — House of Commons, 2018-12-05
Topic: Transportation
Ruth Margaret Cadbury (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the right hon. Gentleman, who is my constituency neighbour, for securing this important debate on a subject that also affects the thousands of people who use the six stations on South Western Railway’s Hounslow loop line—not only my constituents but the thousands who work at GSK, Sky and so on. I agree with him about the disruption to people’s working, daily and family lives, and I share the concern of the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) about what the promise to remove the guarantee of a second person on the train means for people who are disabled. The situation needs looking at urgently.
UK Aid — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: Because of DFID’s priority to get money to where it is most needed, this country has committed vast resources to the conflict in Syria. In addition, the Home Office says that about 10,000 Syrians are now in Britain. Is DFID prepared to bring the voices of those 10,000 Syrians in Britain together and hear from them about what they think should now happen in Syria, which is their country after all?
Keith Anthony Vaz (Labour, Centre-left): A Save the Children report, published today, estimates that 85,000 children have died in Yemen in the last three years, which is equivalent to the entire population of under-fives in the City of Birmingham. Nobody doubts the Government’s commitment to give aid to Yemen, but the aid is not getting through. What can be done to make sure that the people of Yemen get that money?
UK Aid — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: Because of DFID’s priority to get money to where it is most needed, this country has committed vast resources to the conflict in Syria. In addition, the Home Office says that about 10,000 Syrians are now in Britain. Is DFID prepared to bring the voices of those 10,000 Syrians in Britain together and hear from them about what they think should now happen in Syria, which is their country after all?
Daniel Joseph Carden (Labour, Centre-left): In May, an International Development Committee report on official development assistance found that increasing amounts spent by other Departments had "negligible targeting towards helping the poorest and most vulnerable." Just last week, the energy watchdog Platform reported UK aid being used to help oil, gas and fracking industries with their overseas market expansion. Does the Minister understand the growing concerns about the creeping, changing nature of the UK aid budget under this Government?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker, for welcoming Fazila Aswat to Parliament today. She is a most welcome guest On the hundredth anniversary of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act, I join the Prime Minister in welcoming all women to Parliament today as part of the #AskHerToStand campaign. We need a Parliament that truly does represent the diversity of the whole country Now that a number of Ministers have confirmed this morning that leaving the EU with no deal is not an option, does the Prime Minister agree that there are no circumstances in which Britain would leave with no deal?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Prime Minister did not answer the question. Is this the final deal or not? The Work and Pensions Secretary says, "This is the deal. It’s been baked"—well, it is half-baked—but other members of the Cabinet want amendments to the withdrawal agreement. The Leader of the House said last week that there was "still the potential to improve on…some of the measures…that’s what I’m hoping…to help with." Can the Prime Minister clarify whether last week’s withdrawal agreement is the final text, or is there another text that is on its way to us?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Prime Minister is apparently heading off to Brussels today, but the new Brexit Secretary is another non-travelling Brexit Secretary—he is apparently not going with her. I wonder if the post is now an entirely ceremonial one. The Prime Minister’s agreement does not specify how much we would have to pay to extend the transition period. Can she confirm that the choice facing the country would be either the backstop or paying whatever the EU asked us to pay to prolong that transition period?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-11-21
Topic: Foreign Trade
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The truth is that the Prime Minister’s idea of taking back control of our money is to hand the EU a blank cheque, and after 2020 no rebate for the UK. The EU’s trade deal with Canada took seven years to agree, and the deal with Singapore took eight years. The Business Secretary said this week that the transition will have to be extended until the end of 2022. Outside the EU and with no leverage, does the Prime Minister think she is fooling anyone by suggesting a free trade agreement will be finalised by December 2020?