House of Commons

Session 2010-12
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Summary Agendas and Orders of Business

Order of Business Wednesday 27 April 2011

+ indicates Government business.
Timings are indicative only.


House of Commons
Order of Business

 
At 11.30 am
  Prayers
Afterwards
Notes:
  indicates a question for oral answer.
 
[R] indicates that the Member has declared a relevant interest.
 
Questions for oral answer not reached receive a written answer
 
Supplementary questions will also be asked. Other Ministers may also answer.
Oral Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office
 1
Robert Halfon (Harlow):  What steps he is taking to increase access to Government contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises.
(52583)
 2
Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes):  Whether private sector organisations will be able to make applications to the Big Society Bank.
(52584)
 3
Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland):  What recent representations his Department has received on the Big Society initiative.
(52585)
 4
Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside):  What recent estimate he has made of the number of charities and voluntary sector organisations that will be affected by reductions in public expenditure in the next 12 months.
(52586)
 5
Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon):  When he expects the first payments from the Big Society Bank to be made.
(52587)
 6
Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon):  What steps he is taking to increase access to Government contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises.
(52588)
 7
Mark Pawsey (Rugby):  What steps he is taking to increase access to Government contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises.
(52589)
 8
Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye):  What steps he is taking to increase access to Government contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises.
(52590)
 9
Paul Flynn (Newport West):  What recent estimate he has made of the likely change in the number of jobs in the voluntary sector as a result of reductions in public expenditure in the next 12 months.
(52591)
 10
Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):  What recent progress his Department has made on establishing public sector mutuals.
(52592)
 11
Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke):  When he expects the first payments from the Big Society Bank to be made.
(52593)
 12
Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central):  What payments have been made from the Transition Fund since its creation.
(52594)
 13
Simon Hart (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire):  What estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse achieved through the work of the Efficiency and Reform Group in 2010-11.
(52595)
 14
Gavin Shuker (Luton South):  What recent estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue from the reform of public bodies in the Comprehensive Spending Review period.
(52597)
At 11.53 am
Topical Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Members listed below have been selected by ballot to ask a Topical Question.
 T1
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):  If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
(52598)
 T2
Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon):
(52599)
 T3
Teresa Pearce (Erith and Thamesmead):
(52600)
 T4
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton):
(52601)
 T5
John Mann (Bassetlaw):
(52602)
 T6
Karl McCartney (Lincoln):
(52603)
 T7
John Robertson (Glasgow North West):
(52604)
 T8
Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West):
(52605)
 T9
Richard Fuller (Bedford):
(52606)
 T10
John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness):
(52607)
At 12 noon
Oral Questions to the Prime Minister
Unless otherwise indicated the Members listed below will ask a Question without notice.
 Q1
Jim Shannon (Strangford):  If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 27 April.
(52608)
 Q2
Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West):
(52609)
 Q3
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):
(52610)
 Q4
Peter Aldous (Waveney):
(52611)
 Q5
Phil Wilson (Sedgefield):
(52612)
 Q6
Bill Esterson (Sefton Central):
(52613)
 Q7
John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness):
(52614)
 Q8
Ian Lucas (Wrexham):
(52615)
 Q9
Jonathan Evans (Cardiff North):
(52616)
 Q10
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):
(52617)
 Q11
Richard Harrington (Watford):
(52618)
 Q12
Paul Flynn (Newport West):
(52619)
 Q13
Mr Ben Bradshaw (Exeter):
(52620)
 Q14
Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay):
(52621)
 Q15
Fiona Bruce (Congleton):
(52622)

At 12.30 pm
  Urgent Questions (if any)
 
  Ministerial Statements (if any)

Preliminary Business
Ten minute rule Motion
1
EXPORT CREDITS GUARANTEE DEPARTMENT (REGULATION AND REPORTING)
[Up to 20 minutes]
Lisa Nandy
 
   That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to impose certain requirements on the Export Credits Guarantee Department, including the publication of an audit of all sums owed to the Department, an annual impact assessment and a real-time disclosure policy on all supported projects; to prohibit the support of certain activities by the Department; to provide that debt cancellation by the Department cannot be defined as official development assistance; to prohibit companies from receiving support from the Department for a period of at least five years following a relevant conviction of corruption; to introduce a duty of care provision which must be followed in the Department’s operations to provide access to justice for those affected by supported projects; and for connected purposes.
   The Member moving and a Member opposing this Motion may each speak for up to ten minutes (Standing Order No. 23).

Main Business
  indicates Government Business
2
OPPOSITION DAY (15th allotted day)
[Until 7.00 pm]
 
SURE START CHILDREN’S CENTRES
Edward Miliband
Andy Burnham
Yvette Cooper
Caroline Flint
Mrs Sharon Hodgson
Ms Rosie Winterton
 
   That this House believes that improving the life chances of children and young people from all backgrounds should be central to Government policy; recognises that the Sure Start network of 3,600 Children’s Centres, introduced by the previous administration, is crucial in delivering high quality early education and early intervention for children, as well as support, advice and specialist services for parents and carers; notes that the funding to local authorities for the Early Intervention Grant in 2011-12 represents a real terms cut of 22.4 per cent. nationally, compared to the 2010-11 allocations before in-year cuts to area based grants; recognises that, in the context of this cut to early intervention funding, the large, front-loaded cuts to other local authority funding streams, and the removal of the ring-fence around Sure Start funding, Sure Start Children’s Centres will inevitably be put at risk; notes that before the General Election the Prime Minister promised to protect and strengthen Sure Start; and therefore calls on the Government to protect the Sure Start network of Children’s Centres by thinking again about their deep cuts to Sure Start funding, to monitor the evidence and, if local authorities are choosing to disinvest in Sure Start centres, to commit to reinstating the ring-fence for Sure Start funding to ensure that vital and valued services are not lost.
 
GOVERNMENT HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY
Edward Miliband
Mr John Denham
Ed Balls
Andy Burnham
Mr Gareth Thomas
Ms Rosie Winterton
 
   That this House condemns the failure of the Government to deliver the commitment made to Parliament that £9,000 a year student fees would be ‘exceptional’; further notes that the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) has said that it has no powers to set university fees or determine university admissions policies; notes with alarm the warning of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills that average fees higher than £7,500 would mean reducing student numbers or further cutting university teaching funding; condemns the failure of Ministers to explain their policies by publishing a Higher Education White Paper; believes that Ministers are putting at risk the success of universities and the future of generations of students; further believes that current policies are unfair, unnecessary and unsustainable; and therefore calls on Ministers, as soon as practicable, to set out to Parliament how they will meet the promise that fees of £9,000 will only be in exceptional circumstances, to guarantee that there will be no fall in the number of university places or further cuts to university teaching budgets, and to outline what powers, if any, they propose for OFFA on determining fee levels and enforcing access arrangements.
   The selection of the matters to be debated this day has been made by the Leader of the Opposition (Standing Order No. 14(2)).
Debate may continue until 7.00 pm.
3
SECTION 5 OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (AMENDMENT) ACT 1993
[Up to one and a half hours]
The Prime Minister
Secretary William Hague
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Sir George Young
Mark Hoban
Mr David Lidington
 
   That this House takes note with approval of the Government’s assessment as set out in the Budget Report, combined with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which forms the basis of the UK’s Convergence Programme, for the purposes of section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993.
   The Speaker will put the Question not later than one and a half hours after proceedings begin (Standing Order No. 16(1)).
4
CIVIL CONTINGENCIES
[No debate]
Francis Maude
 
   That the draft Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Amendment of List of Responders) Order 2011, which was laid before this House on 28 February, be approved.
To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).
5
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN
[No debate]
Secretary Kenneth Clarke
 
   That this House takes note of the proposed draft Directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, repealing Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA; supports the Government in welcoming the objectives of the draft Directive in raising the standards of protection from sexual exploitation for children across Europe; and supports the Government’s view that national law or practice in England and Wales fulfils the obligations in the draft Directive.
To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 119(11)).
6
DELEGATED LEGISLATION
[No debate after 7.00 pm]
Sir George Young
 
   That the draft Employment and Support Allowance (Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I., 2011, No. 228) be referred to a Delegated Legislation Committee.
If opposed, this item cannot be taken after 7.00 pm.
 
At the end of the sitting:
7
PRESENTATION OF PUBLIC PETITION
[No debate]
 
   Pleck Library (Walsall) (Valerie Vaz)
Presentation of petitions: no debate or decision (Standing Order No. 153).
8
ADJOURNMENT
 
   Proposed subject: Government policy on self-regulation of the press  (Mr Michael McCann).
   Debate may continue until 7.30 pm or for half an hour, whichever is later (Standing Order No. 9).

COMMITTEES
PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE
1
Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill Committee
9.30 am
Room 9 (public)
   Further to consider the Bill.
DELEGATED LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
2
Second Delegated Legislation Committee
2.30 pm
Room 9 (public)
   To consider the draft Charities (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Order 2011.
SELECT COMMITTEES
3
International Development
9.00 am
Room 16 (private)
 
10.30 am
(public)
   Subject: Infrastructure.
   Witnesses: Professor Keith Palmer, InfraCo, and Andrew Reicher, Private Infrastructure Development Group.
4
Science and Technology
9.00 am
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House (private)
 
9.15 am
(public)
   Subject: Forensic Science Service.
   Witnesses: Professor Bernard Silverman, Chief Scientific Adviser, and Andrew Rennison, Forensic Science Regulator, Home Office; James Brokenshire MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and Stephen Webb, Director of Finance and Strategy, Crime and Policing Group, Home Office (at 10.15 am).
5
Education
9.15 am
Room 8 (private)
 
9.30 am
(public)
   Subject: (i) Vocational Education; (ii) English Baccalaureate.
   Witnesses: (i) Professor Wolf; (ii) Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, Department for Education (at 11.00 am).
6
Work and Pensions
9.15 am
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House (private)
7
Business, Innovation and Skills
9.30 am
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House (private)
 
9.45 am
(public)
   Subject: Government’s Strategy for Growth.
   Witness: Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
8
Culture, Media and Sport
10.00 am
Room 7 (private)
9
Welsh Affairs
10.00 am
Room 15 (private)
10
Defence
2.00 pm
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House (private)
 
2.30 pm
(public)
   Subject: Operations in Libya.
   Witnesses: Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State, Major General David Capewell OBE, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations), and Peter Watkins, Director of Operational Policy, Ministry of Defence.
11
European Scrutiny
2.00 pm
Room 19 (private)
 
3.30 pm
(public)
   Subject: Parliamentary Scrutiny of Opt-In Decisions.
   Witnesses: Rt Hon David Lidington MP, Minister of State for Europe, and officials, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
12
Foreign Affairs
2.00 pm
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House (private)
 
2.30 pm
(public)
   Subject: UK-Brazil Relations.
   Witnesses: Paul Domjan, Director, John Howell and Company Ltd, Neil Atkinson, Director of Energy and Utilities Research and Analysis, Datamonitor, and Dr Frank Rosillo-Calle, Honorary Research Fellow, Imperial College London; Mark Bishop, Head of Strategy, Co-ordination and Development, Serious Organised Crime Agency (at 3.15 pm); David Norman, Director of Campaigns, and Sandra Charity, Head of Forest Programmes, WWF-UK (at 3.45 pm).
13
Scottish Affairs
2.00 pm
Room 6 (private)
14
Northern Ireland Affairs
2.15 pm
Room 5 (private)
 
2.30 pm
(public)
   Subject: “Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy”.
   Witness: David Gauke MP, Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury.
15
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2.30 pm
Room 15 (private)
 
3.00 pm
(public)
   Subject: EU Proposals for the Dairy Industry.
   Witnesses: National Farmers’ Union; Dairy UK (at 4.00 pm).
16
Environmental Audit
2.30 pm
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House (private)
 
2.45 pm
(public)
   Subject: Budget 2011 and Environmental Taxes.
   Witnesses: Green Alliance, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Aldersgate Group, and Policy Studies Institute; Aviation Environment Federation, Campaign for Better Transport, Taxpayers’ Alliance, and Federation of Small Businesses (at 3.30 pm).
17
Treasury
2.45 pm
Room 8 (private)
18
Procedure
3.00 pm
Room 20 (private)
 
3.15 pm
(public)
   Subject: Lay Membership of the Committee of Standards and Privileges.
   Witness: Dr Malcolm Jack, Clerk of the House of Commons.
19
Energy and Climate Change
4.00 pm
Room 21 (private)
20
Selection
5.00 pm
Room 13 (private)
JOINT COMMITTEE
21
Draft Defamation Bill
9.15 am
Room 6 (private)
 
9.30 am
(public)
   Subject: Draft Defamation Bill.
   Witness: Lord Lester of Herne Hill.
[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice.]

PUBLICATION OF SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
Wednesday 27 April
Time of publication
No.
1
Public Accounts
00.01 am
HC 764
   National Health Service Landscape Review (Thirty Third Report).

Written Ministerial Statements to be made today
1
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills: Performance targets for the United Kingdom Space Agency for 2011-12.
2
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer: Costing parliamentary questions.
3
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: Work of the Department during Easter Recess 2011.
4
Secretary of State for Health: Correction to written answer.
5
Secretary of State for the Home Department: Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2011.
6
Secretary of State for Transport: Review of decision-making in the Department.