The Week in Westminster – December 8th-13th
Debating the Queen’s Speech takes up most of parliament’s time this week. The Damian Green affair is expected to dominate the headlines as the committee begins its work, but more weightier issues will be discussed on Monday when the communities and local government committee looks at the relationship between central and local government. Our biggest star on the select committee circuit is foreign secretary David Miliband on Wednesday. And there’s always PMQs to look forward to.
Commons
Monday
Motion – to establish a speaker’s committee on the search of offices on the Parliamentary Estate
Queen’s Speech debate – employment, universities and skills, housing
Adjournment debate – Consultations on Post Office closures
Tuesday
Questions – justice
Debate – European affairs
Adjournment debate – Teaching of life skills to 11 to 16 year olds and the national curriculum
Wednesday
Questions – Scotland, PMQs
Queen’s Speech debate – foreign affairs and defence
Adjournment debate – River Hull and River Humber flood risk management strategy
Thursday
Questions – business, enterprise and regulatory reform, church commissioners, public accounts commission and speaker’s committee on the Electoral Commission
Business statement – leader of the House
Queen’s Speech debate – health and education
Adjournment debate – Closure of out patients’ facilities in Rushden
Lords
Monday
Questions – police searches of offices of members of the House of Lords, HIV/Aids in poorest countries, London Living Wage for government staff, UK membership of the euro
Queen’s Speech debate – business and economic affairs
Tuesday
Questions – Gulf War illnesses, safeguarding older people from abuse, Islamic community in UK, national DNA database
Queen’s Speech debate – home affairs and legal and constitutional affairs
Wednesday
Questions – prison overcrowding, helicopters in Afghanistan, ID cards
Queen’s Speech debate – local government, transport, equality, transport, agriculture and environment
Thursday
Introduction – Baroness Campbell of Loughborough
Questions – Surrey police force’s budget, banking and financial services industry, legal blood alcohol limit for drivers
Queen’s Speech debate – health, social affairs, education and culture
Pick of the select committees
Monday
Communities and local government – the balance of power: central and local government
Professor George Jones OBE and Professor John Stewart; Professor Vernon Bogdanor CBE, Oxford University, and Professor Tony Travers, London School of Economics (at 5.00 pm); Rt Hon Lord Heseltine (at 5.35 pm); Baroness Hamwee and Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP (at 5.50 pm)
Tuesday
Joint committee on human rights – policing and protest
Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State, Home Office
Wednesday
Foreign affairs – developments in the European Union
Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Matthew Rycroft, Director EU, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Thursday
Public administration – work of the Cabinet Office
Sir Gus O’Donnell KCB, Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service
