Order of Business Wednesday 18 April 2012

+ 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 Secretary of State for Scotland

 1 Mrs Anne McGuire (Stirling): What recent representations he has received on the provisions of the Scotland Bill. (102886)

 2 John Robertson (Glasgow North West): How many meetings he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the two weeks preceding his Financial Statement of 21 March 2012 on the effect of the Budget on Scotland. (102887)

 3 David Mowat (Warrington South): What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the funding formula for Scotland. (102888)

 4 Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan): What assessment his Department has made of the responses to its consultation on the proposed referendum on independence for Scotland. (102889)

 5 Michael Connarty (Linlithgow and East Falkirk): How many people in Scotland will be affected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposal to withdraw the additional personal allowance for people over 65 years of age. (102890)

 6 Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon): What assessment his Department has made of the implications for the currency used in Scotland of a vote in favour of independence for Scotland. (102891)

 7 Guy Opperman (Hexham): What steps are being taken by the Government and the Office of Fair Trading to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland. (102892)

 8 Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye): What assessment his Department has made of the responses to its consultation on the proposed referendum on independence for Scotland. (102893)

 9 Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes): How many pensioners in Scotland will be affected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's decision on age-related personal allowances. (102894)

 10 Sandra Osborne (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock): How many pensioners in Scotland will be affected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's decision on age-related personal allowances. (102895)

 11 Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): What powers would be devolved to Scotland under devo max. (102896)

 12 Tom Greatrex (Rutherglen and Hamilton West): What recent assessment he has made of the performance of the economy in Scotland. (102897)

 13 Gregg McClymont (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East): How many pensioners in Scotland will be affected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's decision on age-related personal allowances. (102898)

 14 Jim Sheridan (Paisley and Renfrewshire North): What recent representations he has received from employers and organisations representing them in Scotland on the need to review employment legislation. (102899)

 15 Fiona Bruce (Congleton): What recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Scottish Government on independence. (102900)

At 12 noon

Oral Questions to the Prime Minister

Unless otherwise indicated the Members listed below will ask a Question without notice.

 Q1 Naomi Long (Belfast East): If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 18 April. (102685)

 Q2 Dr William McCrea (South Antrim):  (102686)

 Q3 Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):  (102687)

 Q4 Teresa Pearce (Erith and Thamesmead):  (102688)

 Q5 George Freeman (Mid Norfolk):  (102689)

 Q6 Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):  (102690)

 Q7 Stephen Mosley (City of Chester):  (102691)

 Q8 Ian Murray (Edinburgh South):  (102692)

 Q9 Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West):  (102693)

 Q10 Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):  (102694)

 Q11 Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South):  (102695)

 Q12 Alex Cunningham (Stockton North):  (102696)

 Q13 Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):  (102697)

 Q14 Anas Sarwar (Glasgow Central):  (102698)

 Q15 Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston):  (102699)

At 12.30 pm Urgent Questions (if any)

Ministerial Statements (if any)

Preliminary Business

Ten minute rule Motion

1 DIABETES PREVENTION (SOFT DRINKS) [Up to 20 minutes]

Keith Vaz

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to establish a programme of research into diabetes prevention; to require manufacturers of soft drinks to reduce the sugar content of soft drinks by 4 per cent; to make provision for a mechanism through which manufacturers of soft drinks are required through reinvestment of part of their profits to support the research programme from 2012; 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 FINANCE (No. 4) BILL (Clauses 1, 4, 8, 189 and 209, Schedules 1, 23 and 33, and any new Clauses and new Schedules first appearing on the Order Paper not later than Tuesday 17 April 2012 and relating to value added tax): Committee [1st day].

For Amendments, see separate Paper.

The Thirtieth Report from the Treasury Committee, Budget 2012, HC 1910-I, is relevant.

Proceedings on Clause 1 will be brought to a conclusion three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Bill; proceedings on Clause 209 and Schedule 33 will be brought to a conclusion five hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Bill; new Clauses or new Schedules first appearing on the Order Paper not later than Tuesday 17 April 2012 and relating to value added tax will be brought to a conclusion seven hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Bill; and proceedings on Clause 189 and Schedule 23 will be brought to a conclusion eight and a quarter hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Bill (Order of 16 April).

† 3 STATISTICS BOARD [No debate]

Francis Maude

That the draft Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (Disclosure of Social Security and Revenue Information) Regulations 2012, which were laid before this House on 27 February, be approved.

To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).

† 4 EDUCATION [No debate]

Secretary Vince Cable

That the draft Apprenticeships (Alternative English Completion Conditions) Regulations 2012, which were laid before this House on 27 February, be approved.

To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).

† 5 COMMISSION WORK PROGRAMME [No debate]

Mr David Lidington

That this House takes note of European Union Document No. 17394/11 and Addendum, relating to the Commission Work Programme 2012-Delivering European Renewal, which sets out the Commission’s priorities and previews the legislative proposals, initiatives and communications that the Commission is planning to put forward in 2012; supports the Government’s view that the most significant initiatives are those that help to deliver growth in the EU, including measures towards completing the Single Market, improving stability in the financial sector and the flexibility and competitiveness of the EU, and reducing the overall EU regulatory burden on business; shares the Government’s concerns about the potential impacts of a small number of specific proposals on the EU’s ability to achieve growth; and further supports the Government’s view that any proposals should be evidence-based and avoid increasing burdens on business, especially small enterprises and micro businesses.

To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 119(11)).

At the end of the sitting:

6 ADJOURNMENT

Proposed subject: Selective dorsal rhizotomy in the NHS (Chris Heaton-Harris).

Debate may continue until 7.30 pm or for half an hour, whichever is later (Standing Order No. 9).

COMMITTEES

DELEGATED LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

To consider the draft Schedule 5 to the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (Modification) Order 2012.

SELECT COMMITTEES

Subject: Bridging the Valley of Death.

Witnesses: Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President (Research and Innovation), University of Manchester, Dr Paul Nightingale, University of Sussex, David Connell, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge, and Dr Douglas Robertson, Chair, Praxis/Unico; Dr Ted Bianco, Director of Technology Transfer, Wellcome Trust, Dr Ian Tomlinson, Senior Vice President, GlaxoSmithKline, Dr David Tapolczay, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Research Council Technology, Dr Gareth Goodier, Chair, Shelford Group, and Dr Andy Richards, biotechnology entrepreneur and business angel (at 10.15 am).

Subject: Defence and Cyber-Security.

Witnesses: John Bassett OBE, Associate Fellow, Cyber-Security, Royal United Services Institute, Professor Brian Collins, UCL, and Professor Sir David Omand GCB, Visiting Professor, King’s College London.

Subject: Natural Environment White Paper.

Witness: Richard Benyon MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Subject: Wildlife Crime.

Witnesses: Asia Regional Director, International Fund for Animal Welfare; Richard Crompton, former Wildlife Crime Lead, Association of Chief Police Officers (at 3.15 pm).

Subject: British Foreign Policy and the ‘Arab Spring’: the Transition to Democracy.

Witness: Alistair Burt MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Subject: Referendum on Separation for Scotland.

Witnesses: Martin Boon, Head of Social and Government Research, ICM Research, Nigel Smith, Chair of the Cross Party Campaign for a Yes Vote in the 1997 Scottish Devolution Referendum, and Andrew Hawkins, Chairman, ComRes.

Subject: Sale of High Speed 1.

Witnesses: Stewart Wallis, Executive Director, New Economics Foundation; Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary, Steve Gooding, Director General, Domestic Group, and Mike Fuhr, Director, Department for Transport (at 4.00 pm).

OTHER COMMITTEE

[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice.]

PUBLICATION OF SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS

Consumption-Based Emissions Reporting (Twelfth Report).

Budget 2012 (Thirtieth Report).

Written Ministerial Statements to be made today

1Attorney General: Publication of the Director of Public Prosecutions interim guidelines for prosecutors on assessing the public interest in cases affecting the media.

2Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer: Informal Ecofin 30-31 March 2012.