The Week in Westminster: 24th - 28th June

The Week in Westminster: June 24th – June 28th

The Week in Westminster: June 24th – June 28th

By Phoebe Cooke

The highlight of the week is George Osborne's spending review on Wednesday, which will lay out another punishing barrage of cuts and ratchet up the pressure on government departments until a couple of weeks into the next parliament. Meanwhile, the Lords will be scrutinising the marriage (same sex couples) bill on Monday, whilst Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean raises the issue of arming the opposition in Syria on Thursday.

The outgoing governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King addresses the Bank of England May Inflation Report on in front of the Treasury committee this week. Will Hutton will be among those providing evidence on the subject of media plurality later in the week.

House of Commons

Monday 24th June

Oral Questions: Education, including Topical Questions
Legislation: Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill – Second reading
Backbench Business: Careers advice in schools for 12 to 16 years olds
Adjournment: Accountability of police and crime commissioners – Keith Vaz

Tuesday 25th June

Oral Questions: Treasury, including Topical Questions
Debate: Opposition day (4th allotted day) – (i) Lobbying (ii) Armed Forces
Adjournment: Healthcare services across the England and Wales border – Jesse Norman

Wednesday 26th June

11.30am: Oral Questions: Scotland
12pm: Prime Minister's Question Times

Statement: Spending review – Mr George Osborne
Legislation: High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill – Second Reading
Motion: Hybrid Bill procedure
Adjournment: Government policy on the future of the Lindisfarne Gospels – Roberta Blackman-Woods

Thursday 27th June

Oral Questions: Transport, including Topical Questions; Leader of the House and House of Commons Commission
Business Statement: Leader of the House
Backbench Business: (i) Legal aid reform (ii) Multinational companies and UK corporation tax
Adjournment: Terms of employment for reserve service personnel – Nadine Dorries

Friday 28th June

The house will not be sitting

House of Lords

Monday 24 June

Oral Questions:
– Potential for instability in Central Asia – Viscount Waverley
– Impact of the reduction in the top rate of income tax from 50 to 45 per cent – Lord Risby
– Guidelines about public statements by NHS executives – Lord Monks
– Proportion of the national debt currently held by the Bank of England – Lord Williams of Elvel

Legislation:
– Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill – Committee of the whole house (Day 3) – Baroness Stowell of Beeston

Orders and Regulations:
– Social Security (Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 – Motion to Regret – Lord Alton of Liverpool/Lord Freud

Tuesday 25 June

Oral Questions:
– Steps to bring about a lower exchange rate for sterling – Lord Empey
– Initiatives to increase funding to small and medium-sized enterprises – Lord Sharkey
– Impact on insurance companies’ balance sheets of paying mesothelioma sufferers 100 per cent of compensation – Lord Wills

Legislation:
– Offender Rehabilitation Bill [HL] – Report stage – Lord McNally

Short Debate:
– Civilian and military use of drones – Lord Judd/Earl Attlee

Wednesday 26 June

Oral Questions:
– Action to tackle the issue of payday lending – Lord Kennedy of Southwark
– Defendants choosing their own lawyer after legal aid reform – Lord Bach
– Owners of homes at risk of flooding obtaining affordable home insurance – Lord Knight of Weymouth

Debate:
– Report from the Economic Affairs Committee on the economic implications for the UK of Scottish independence – Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market/Lord Newby

Debate:
– Report from the Select Committee on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises – Lord Cope of Berkeley/Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint

Debate:
– Report from the European Union Committee on EU enlargement – Lord Boswell of Aynho/Baroness Warsi

Thursday 27 June

Oral Questions:
– Decisions taken on overseas development assistance in 2011 – Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
– Arming the opposition in Syria – Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
– Africa's development prospects – Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

Debate:
– Importance of sustainable jobs – Baroness Brinton/Lord Newby

Debate:
– Challenges faced by women particularly in the developing world – Lord Loomba/Baroness Northover

Orders and Regulations:
– Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Temporary Class Drug) Order 2013 – Earl Attlee

Orders and Regulations:
– Draft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2013 – Earl Attlee

Friday 28 June

The house will not be sitting.

Pick of Select Committees

Monday 24 June

3.15pm
Public Accounts – Subject: Tobacco Smuggling
Witness(es): Lin Homer, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue & Customs, Sir Charles Montgomery, Director General, UK Border Force, Jennie Granger, Director General Enforecement and Compliance, HM Revenue and Customs and Kevin Franklin, Director National Customs Operations, Border Force
Location: Room 15, Palace of Westminster

4pm
Subject: Soft Power and the UK's Influence
Witness(es): at 4.05pm evidence will be heard from Professor Michael Cox, Professor of International Relations, Head of Programme for Transatlantic Relations, Co-Director, LSE-IDEAS, London School of Economics (LSE), John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist and Lord Williams of Baglan, Chatham House
Location: Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster

4.45pm
Public Administration – Subject: Future of the civil service

Witness(es): Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General
Location: Room 8, Palace of Westminster

6pm
Communities and Local Government – Subject: Greater London Authority Act 2007

Witness(es): Brandon Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Local Government
Location: The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Tuesday 25 June

9.05am
Energy and Climate Change – Subject: UK oil refining

Witness(es): Environment Agency; Shell and KBC Advanced Technologies; Department of Energy and Climate Change
Location: The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

9.30am
Treasury – Subject: Bank of England May 2013 Inflation Report

Witness(es): Sir Mervyn King, Governor, Bank of England, Spencer Dale, Executive Director and Chief Economist, Bank of England, Dr Ben Broadbent, external member, Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England and Dr Martin Weale CBE, external member, Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England
Location: The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

9.30am
Health – Subject: Emergency Services and Emergency Care

Witness(es): Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality, Department of Health, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh KBE, NHS Medical Director, Dame Barbara Hakin, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive and Professor Keith Willett, National Director for Acute Episodes of Care, NHS England
Location: Room 15, Palace of Westminster

10.30am
Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Subject: Mental Capacity Act 2005

Witness(es): (at 10.45am) evidence will be heard from Nicola Macintosh, Principal Solicitor, Mackintosh Law, Katie Johnston, Policy Officer, Liberty, Professor Richard Jones, Honorary Visiting Professor, Cardiff Law School and Kirsty Keywood, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester
Location: Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster

3.15pm
Communications – Subject: Media plurality

Witness(es): (at 3.30pm) evidence will be heard from Mr Chris Goodall, Enders Analysis; and Dr Jonathan Hardy, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and at 4.30 pm from Mr Will Hutton.
Location: Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster

3.30pm
Economic Affairs – Subject: Private meeting

Location: Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster

Wednesday 26 June

9.05am
Science and Technology – Subject: Climate: Public understanding and policy implications

Witness(es): Professor Nick Pidgeon, Understanding Risk Research Group, Cardiff University, Professor Chris Rapley, Communicating Climate Science Policy Commission, UCL and Dr Alex Burch, Director of Learning, Science Museum Group; Professor John Womersley, Chief Executive, Science and Technology Facilities Council, and Champion for RCUK Public Engagement with Research, Professor Tim Palmer, Vice President, Royal Meteorological Society, Professor Rowan Sutton, Director of Climate Research, National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Professor John Pethica, Physical Secretary and Vice-President, Royal Society
Location: Science Museum

9.40am
Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill – Subject: Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill

Witness(es): Lord Ramsbotham ; Nuala Mole, Founder and Senior Lawyer, Aire Centre, Aidan O'Neill QC, Matrix Chambers, Angela Patrick, Director of Human Rights Policy, JUSTICE and Lord Faulks QC, Chairman of Research and Lawyer, Society of Conservative Lawyers
Location: Room 8, Palace of Westminster

9.45am
Work and Pensions – Subject: The role of Jobcentre Plus in the reformed welfare system

Witness(es): Nilufer Rahim, Senior Researcher, NatCen Social Research, Matthew Oakley, Head of Economics and Social Policy, Policy Exchange, Tony Wilson, Policy Director, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion and Adam Sharples CB, Non-Executive Chairman, Ixion Holdings Ltd (and formerly Director General for Employment Group, DWP)
Location: Room 15, Palace of Westminster

2.20pm
Environmental Audit – Subject: Green Finance

Witness(es): James Leaton, Project Director, Carbon Tracker Initiative and Dr Nicola Ranger, Senior Research Fellow, Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment; Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Donald MacDonald, Trustee, BT Pension Scheme and Chair Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and David Russell, Co-Head of Responsible Investment, Universities Superannuation Scheme Investment Management
Location: The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Thursday 27 June

10am
Political and Constitutional Reform – Subject: House of Lords reform: what next?

Witness(es): Dr Meg Russell, Dr Stephen Barber and Dr Chris Ballinger; Lord Jay of Ewelme GCMG
Location: The Wilson Room, Portcullis House