The Week in Westminster March 18th – 22nd 2013
It's shaping up to be quite the tumultuous week for the government. With Labour and the Lib Dems standing together against the Conservatives over the Leveson proposals, the coalition has arguably never been as fragile.
Press regulations will also be a topic of discussion in front of the culture, media and sport select committee, as they will be hearing testimony from former Formula 1 president Max Mosely and a representative from the National Union of Journalists.
Also, David Cameron will be making a statement on the European council on Monday and the almost terminally unpopular chancellor George Osborne will be revealing the 2013 Budget on Wednesday.
With all of that going on it will interesting to see how strong the Conservative party, and the coalition as a whole, will appear when it is all over.
House of Commons
Monday 18 March 2013
Oral Questions – Communities and Local Government, including Topical Questions
Statement – European Council – Mr David Cameron
Legislation – Crime and Courts Bill [HL] – Report stage (Day 2)
Legislation – Crime and Courts Bill [HL] – Third reading
Adjournment – Effect of benefit changes and the under-occupancy penalty in Nottingham – Lilian Greenwood
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Oral Questions – Justice, including Topical Questions
Ten Minute Rule Motion – Parish and Town Council Precepts (Referendums) – Kris Hopkins
Legislation – Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill – Second reading
Legislation – Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill – Committee of the whole House
Legislation – Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill – Report stage
Legislation – Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill – Third reading
Motion – Parliamentary Standards Act 2009
Adjournment – Claims management companies – Nic Dakin
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Oral Questions – Cabinet Office, including Topical Questions
Prime Minister's Question Time
Financial Statement – Budget Statement – Mr George Osborne
Adjournment – Justice for Tamil people – Mr Lee Scott
Thursday 21 March 2013
Oral Questions – Business, Innovation and Skills, including Topical Questions
Business Statement – Leader of the House
Debate – Continuation of the Budget debate: subject to be announced
Adjournment – DWP Minister's decision not to meet a delegation on Atos Healthcare – Mr Michael Meacher
Friday 22 March 2013
Debate – Continuation of the Budget debate: subject to be announced
Business – Private Members' business does not have precedence on this day
Legislation – Water Companies (Social Tariffs) Bill – Second reading – Thomas Docherty
Legislation – Water Companies (Minimum Tariffs) Bill – Second reading – Thomas Docherty
Legislation – Train Companies (Minimum Fares) Bill – Second reading – Thomas Docherty
Legislation – Gift Vouchers and Insolvency Bill – Second reading – Mr Michael McCann
Legislation – Charities Act 2011 (Amendment) Bill – Second reading – Mr Peter Bone
Legislation – Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 (Amendment) Bill – Second reading – Mr Nicholas Brown
Adjournment – Proposed changes to the Magistrates' Court matrix in Wiltshire – John Glen
House of Lords
Monday 18 March 2013
Oral Questions – Announcement whether or not corporation tax is to be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly – Lord Lexden; Monitoring the resolution of County Court judgments, especially in the case of the park homes industry – Lord Graham of Edmonton; Measures placing restrictions on new and young drivers – Baroness Gardner of Parkes; Progress made in the Government's response to the Leveson report – Baroness Boothroyd
Legislation – Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill – Report stage (Day 5) – Viscount Younger of Leckie
Debate – Building Regulations &c. (Amendment) Regulations 2012 – Motion to Regret – Baroness Tonge
Debate – Communications Committee report on Broadband – Lord Inglewood
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Oral Questions – Government's assessment of the implications of the UK's aging population and their response to those implications – Lord Filkin; Department of Health's removal from the NHS Choices website of the advice that there was no good quality evidence to show that homeopathy was more successful than placebo – Lord Taverne; Effect of current visa restrictions on visitors from China to the UK for tourism and commerce – Lord Lee of Trafford; Giving more powers over monetary policy to the Bank of England – Lord Barnett
Legislation – Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill – Report stage – Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Short Debate – Ethical and sustainable fashion – Baroness Young of Hornsey
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Oral Questions – Effectiveness of measures introduced to stimulate new house-building – Lord Bates; Requiring ministers to report on the financial and carbon consequences of data retention requirements in future legislation – Lord Redesdale; Ensuring new prisons are environmentally sustainable – Bishop of Liverpool
Legislation – Growth and Infrastructure Bill – Report stage (Day 3) – Baroness Hanham
Thursday 21 March 2013
Oral Questions – Recall of those on licence who breach that licence, in the event of the outsourcing of probation services – Baroness Howe of Idlicote; Encouraging members of the House to ask short and relevant supplementary oral questions – Lord Campbell-Savours; Effectiveness of the Responsibility Deal for Calorie Reduction in achieving significant product reformulation in food sold by fast food operators – Lord Sharkey
Legislation – Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill – Second reading
Debate – Budget statement and UK economy – Lord Deighton
Debate – Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Higher Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects (2nd Report, HL Paper 37) – Lord Willis of Knaresborough
Friday 22 March 2013
No business has been announced for this day.
Pick of the select committees
Monday 18 March 2013
Public Accounts
Subject: Management of hospital consultants, National Programme for IT & Termination Agreements in the NHS
Witness(es): Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director, NHS, Richard Douglas, Director General of Policy, Strategy and Finance, NHS, Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Chief Executive of the NHS in England and Dean Royles, Chief Executive, NHS Employers; Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Chief Executive of the NHS in England, Tim Donohoe, Director of Informatics, Department of Health and Richard Douglas, Director General of Policy, Strategy and Finance, NHS; Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Chief Executive of the NHS in England, Dean Royles, Chief Executive, NHS Employers and Richard Douglas, Director General of Policy, Strategy and Finance, NHS
Location: Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Health
Subject: Report of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry
Witness(es): Gary Walker and David Bowles
Location: The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, 10:30am
Culture, Media and Sport
Subject: Regulation of the press
Witness(es): Max Mosley; Seamus Dooley, Assistant General Secretary, National Union of Journalists
Location: The Grimond Room, Portcullis House, 2:15pm
Human Rights
Subject: Review of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures regime
Witness(es): David Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer of the Government’s terrorism legislation
Location: 4A, 2:20pm
Environmental Audit
Subject: Sustainability in the UK Overseas Territories
Witness(es): Bryan Naqqi Manco, Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, Turks and Caicos Islands and Dr Nikki Chapman, Nature Conservation Division, St Helena
Location: Room 16, Palace of Westminster
