The week in Westminster 3rd November – 7th November
All the fun stuff, if you can call it that, happens in select committee rooms this week.
TV chef and all-round health-of-the-nation messiah Jamie Oliver sits before the health committee on Wednesday to discuss health inequalities. His previous forays into Westminster politics – most notably his campaign on school dinners – earned him a private meeting with Tony Blair, in one of those agonisingly contrived attempts to pretend the government was going to do something about the situation. Whether this meeting can inspire MPs to push for greater health equality is another matter.
It’s a bit of a statement on British cultural life that the man sitting in front of the Treasury committee on Monday is less famous. His name is Alistair Darling. The chancellor and Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, will be discussing the banking crisis. Watch out for how partisan the event becomes. Tories may attempt to pull David Cameron’s trick of blaming him for Britain’s current malaise, or we could see some cross-party solidarity in the face of national crisis.
Cross-party unity hasn’t made much of an appearance at prime minister’s questions recently, whatever the Conservatives promised during their conference. But after three consecutive defeats at the hands of Gordon Brown, Mr Cameron may opt for a more consensual approach on Wednesday. Don’t bet on it.
Monday
Commons
2.30pm
Oral Questions:
Defence; including Topical Questions
Legislation:
Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL] – remaining stages
Adjournment:
A5 – M1 link – Andrew Selous
Lords
2.30pm
Introduction(s): Mr David Pannick QC
Oral Questions:
Informal adult learning – Baroness Sharp of Guildford
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority – Lord Jenkin of Roding
Southern African Development Community and Zimbabwe – Lord Blaker
Democratic Republic of Congo – Lord Avebury
Legislation:
Education and Skills Bill – Report stage (day 2) – Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
Debate:
Current economic situation – Lord Myners
Select committees
3.45pm
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Children, Schools and Families
Subject:
National Curriculum
Witness(es):
Secondary National Strategy, Association for Science Education, Royal Geographical Society, and Institute of Education, University of London
4pm
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Treasury
Subject:
Banking Crisis
Witness(es):
Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, and Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority
4.15pm
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills
Subject:
(i) Nuclear Engineering (ii) Plastic Electronics Engineering
Witness(es):
(i) Mike O’Brien MP, Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (ii) Rt Hon Lord Drayson, Minister of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and Lord Carter of Barnes, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (at 5.15 pm)
4.30pm
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts
Subject:
Programmes to reduce household energy consumption
Witness(es):
Moira Wallace, Acting Permanent Secretary, Edmund Hosker, Head of Energy Markets Unit, and Anne Sharpe, Director, Domestic Climate Change and Energy, Department of Energy and Climate Change, and John Fiennes, Director of Sustainable Buildings and Climate Change, Department for Communities and Local Government
General committees
4.30pm
Room 11, Palace of Westminster
First Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Wool Textile Industry (Export Promotion Levy) (Revocation) Order 2008
4.30pm
Room 12, Palace of Westminster
Second Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Rail Vehicle Accessibility (London Underground Victoria Line 09TS Vehicles) Exemption Order 2008 and the Draft Rail Vehicle Accessibility Exemption Orders (Parliamentary Procedures)
4.30pm
Room 9, Palace of Westminster
Third Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria) (Foreign Offences) Order 2008 and the Draft Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Transitory Provisions) Order 2008
Tuesday
Commons
2.30pm
Oral Questions:
Health; including Topical Questions
Ten Minute Rule Bill:
Food Labelling (Nutrition and Health) – Helen Southworth
Legislation:
Employment Bill [HL] – remaining stages
Adjournment:
Security at Gatwick Airport – Ms Gisela Stuart
Lords
2.30pm
Oral Questions:
Rolling stock available to the railways – Lord Bradshaw
UK gold reserves – Lord Glentoran
Japanese knotweed – Baroness Sharples
European air quality directive – Baroness Gardner of Parkes
Legislation:
Counter-Terrorism Bill – Report stage – Lord West of Spithead
Orders and Regulations:
Local Elections (Ordinary Day of Elections in 2009) Order 2008 – Baroness Andrews
Westminster Hall
9.30am – 11am
Government policy on international banking regulations – Mr James Plaskitt
11am – 12.30pm
Funding of fire and rescue services in the South West region – Mr Mark Harper
12.30pm – 1pm
UK skills agenda – Eric Joyce
1pm – 1.30pm
Standards Board investigation into members of the Isle of Wight Council – Mr Andrew Turner
1.30pm – 2pm
Building schools for the future in Stoke-on-Trent South – Mr Robert Flello
Select committee
10.30am
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Business and Enterprise
Subject:
Creating a higher value added economy
Witness(es):
TUC; CBI and The Federation of Small Businesses (at 11.30 am)
10.30am
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Culture, Media and Sport
Subject:
BBC Commercial Operations
Witness(es):
Tony Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, FremantleMedia, and John McVay, Chief Executive, and Charles Wace, Chairman, Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television; TimeOut, Guardian Media Group, and Wanderlust (at 11.10 am); Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive, RadioCentre (at 11.50 am)
10.30am
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Defence
Subject:
MoD Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08
Witness(es):
Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Under Secretary of State, and Trevor Woolley CB, Finance Director, Ministry of Defence
10.30am
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Home Affairs
Subject:
(i) Police and the Media (ii) The rights of Gurkhas to settle in the UK
Witness(es):
(i) Liberty; Jon Silverman (at 10.50 am); West Midlands Police, and ACPO Media Advisory Group (at 11.10 am) (ii) N C Brothers & Co Solicitors, Howe & Co Solicitors, United British Gurkhas Ex-Servicemen’s Association, and Metropolitan Police (at 11.30 am)
10.30am
Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Welsh Affairs
Subject:
Cross border public services for Wales
Witness(es):
Mersey Dee Alliance and SEWTA; Passenger Focus and Community Transport (at 11.15 am)
Lords committees
3.35pm
Economic Affairs
Subject:
Draft Apprenticeships Bill
Witness(es):
The Lord Young of Norwood Green, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
General committees
10.30am
Room 9, Palace of Westminster
Banking Bill Committee:
Subject:
To consider the Bill & 4:30pm
10.30am
Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House
Political Parties and Elections Bill:
Subject:
To take evidence on the Bill & 4:30pm
Witness(es): Ministry of Justice (Until no later than 12.00 noon); Sir Hayden Phillips, and Sir Christopher Kelly (Until no later than 1.00 pm)
4.30pm
Room 10, Palace of Westminster
European Committee C:
Subject:
EU Document No. 10824/08 relating to Facing the challenges of higher oil prices
4.30pm
Room 14, Palace of Westminster
Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008
4.30pm
Room 12, Palace of Westminster
Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2008
Wednesday
Commons
11.30am
Oral Questions:
International Development
Prime Minister’s Question Time:
Ten Minute Rule Bill:
Sale of Registration Marks (Amendment) – James Duddridge
Debate:
Work and Welfare
Adjournment:
Confidentiality of hon Members’ constituency correspondence – Mr Simon Burns
Lords
3pm
Oral Questions:
Spouses and civil partners of British citizens – Lord Teverson
Operations in Afghanistan – Lord Jopling
Waiting times at hospital accident and emergency departments – Baroness Masham of Ilton
Legislation:
Energy Bill – Third reading – Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Legislation:
Pensions Bill – Third reading – Lord McKenzie of Luton
Debate:
Communications Committee Report on the ownership of the news – Lord Fowler
Westminster Hall
9.30am – 11am
Awareness of internet fraud – Dr Richard Taylor
11am – 11.30am
Changes to immigration rules and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme – Hugh Robertson
2.30pm – 4pm
Widening participation in higher education – Jeff Ennis
4pm – 4.30pm
Government policy on graveyards and burial grounds – John Mann
4.30pm – 5pm
Provision of allotments by local authorities – Mr John Leech
Select committees
9.30am
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills
Subject:
DIUS Departmental Report
Witness(es):
Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser
10am
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Health
Subject:
Health Inequalities
Witness(es):
Jamie Oliver, Chef and Broadcaster
2.30pm
Room 19, Palace of Westminster
European Scrutiny
Subject:
Scrutiny of European Documents
2.30pm
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Foreign Affairs
Subject:
Global Security: Non-proliferation
Witness(es):
Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Professorial Fellow, Royal United Services Institute, Mr Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation, IISS; Baroness Williams of Crosby (at 3.30 pm)
2.45pm
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Transport
Subject:
Taxes and charges on road users
Witness(es):
Professor Stephen Glaister, Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring, Institute for European Environmental Policy, and Institute for Fiscal Studies; Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Professor Alan McKinnon, Heriot-Watt University, and Professor Jon Shaw, University of Plymouth (at 3.45 pm)
3pm
Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Northern Ireland Affairs
Subject:
Cross border co-operation
Witness(es):
Police Service of Northern Ireland
3.30pm
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts
Subject:
Department for International Development: Operations in insecure environments
Witness(es):
Dr Minouche Shafik, Permanent Secretary, Mark Lowcock, Director General, Country Programmes, Bella Bird, Head of DfID Nepal, and Mozzam Malik, UN Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Division, Department for International Development
4.30pm
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Subject:
Badgers and Cattle TB
Witness(es):
Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lords committees
10.30am
Room 4a, Palace of Westminster
Communications
Subject:
Government Communications
Witness(es):
Rt. Hon. Liam Byrne MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office; and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
10.40am
Science and Technology: Sub-Committee II
Subject: Genomic Medicine
Witness(es):
Dr Geoff Smith, Senior Director, Illumina; Mr Clive Brown, Director, Informatics and IT, Oxford Nanopore Technologies; Dr Raimo Tanzi, Business Development Director, Molecular Biology and Pharmaceuticals, Applied Biosystems; Dr Richard Durbin, Head, Informatics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; and (b) from Prof Janet Thornton CBE, Director, and Dr Ewan Birney, Senior Scientist, European Bioinformatics Institute; and Prof Anthony Brookes, Professor, Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of Leicester
General committees
2.30pm
Room 12, Palace of Westminster
Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Air Navigation (Environmental Standards for Non-EASA Aircraft) Order 2008
2.30pm
Room 10, Palace of Westminster
Seventh Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2008 (S.I., 2008, No. 2424)
Thursday
Commons
10.30am
Oral Questions:
Environment Food and Rural Affairs; Solicitor General; including Topical Questions
Business Statement:
Leader of the House
Topical Debate:
Subject to be announced
Debate:
On public engagement in fighting crime
Adjournment:
Icelandic banking collapse and Government policy on UK citizens with overseas accounts – Mary Creagh
Lords
11am
Oral Questions:
Defra Ministers in the House of Lords – Baroness Byford
Academies – Lord Lyell
Dalit population in India – Lord Bishop of Carlisle
Legislation:
Planning Bill – Report stage – Baroness Andrews
Orders and Regulations:
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Transitory Provisions) Order 2008; Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria) (Foreign Offences) Order 2008 – Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
Westminster Hall
2.30pm – 5.30pm
Debate on the 8th Report from the Communities and Local Government Committee, HC 457, The Supply of Rented Housing
Select committees
10am
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Health
Subject:
Health Inequalities
Witness(es):
Rob Ballantyne, Independent Planning and Health Consultant, and Neil Blackshaw, Head, NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit; Mike Eland, Director General of Enforcement and Compliance, HM Revenue and Customs, and Brodie Clark, Strategic Director, Border Control, UK Border Agency (at 11.15 am)
Lords committees
10.10am
Room 3a, Palace of Westminster
EU Sub-Committee G: Social Policy and Consumer Affairs
Subject:
Inquiry into the EU Commission’s proposals for a directive on patients’ rights in cross border healthcare
Witness(es):
the Medical Defence Union (MDU); and the Medical Protection Society
12.30pm
Room 4, Palace of Westminster
EU Sub-Committee A: Economic and Financial Affairs, and International Trade
Subject:
Inquiry into European Trade Policy
Witness(es):
Rt Hon the Lord Mandelson Secretary of State, and Mr Edward Barker, Director of Trade Policy, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
General committees
8.55am
Room 12, Palace of Westminster
Eighth Delegated Legislation Committee:
Subject:
Draft Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2008
Witness(es):
(am): Electoral Commission (Until no later than 10.25 am) (pm): Professor Keith Ewing, King’s College London, Professor Justin Fisher, Brunel, and Dr Michael Pinto-Duschinsky (Until no later than 2.00 pm); Representatives of the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats (Until no later than 3.00 pm)
9am
Room 9, Palace of Westminster
Banking Bill Committee:
Subject:
To consider the Bill & 1:00pm
9am
Room 11, Palace of Westminster
Political Parties and Elections Bill Committee:
Subject:
To take evidence on the Bill & 1:00pm
Friday
The House will not be sitting
