FORTHCOMING BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS
9 DECEMBER - 13 DECEMBER

Enquiries about Lords business may be put to the Lords Information Office 0171-219 3107

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER (2.30pm)

Oral Questions - Operation Granby: Circumstances in which solicitor/client and practitioner/patient confidentiality may be broken (C. of Mar); Water companies long-term sustainable water resource and drought contingency plans: Powers of the Environment Agency (L. Dubs); Plight of single-parent families (L. Ashley of Stoke); Future of the Royal Observatories (L. Haskel).

Humble Address - Succession to the Crown (L. Archer of Weston-Super-Mare) - Motion for approval.

Legislation - Scottish Borders Council (Jim Clark Memorial Rally) Order Confirmation Bill (third reading); Western Isles Council (Berneray Causeway) Order Confirmation Bill (third reading); Theft (Amendment) Bill [HL] (report stage); Civil Procedure Bill [HL] (report stage); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Bill (committee stage).

Delegated Legislation - High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction (Amendment) Order 1996; European Police Office (Legal Capacities) Order 1996; European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Europe Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Latvia) Order 1996; European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Europe Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Lithuania) Order 1996; European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Europe Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Estonia) Order 1996 - Motions for approval; Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules - Motion to disapprove.

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER (2.30pm)

Introduction - Lord Bishop of Ely.

Oral Questions - Application of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention to conflict in Turkey (L. Hylton); Banking secrecy in Switzerland (L. Dubs); Report of the Medical Royal Colleges on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (E. Baldwin of Bewdley); Agreement of HMG of the conclusion of the report The Theatre Commission: a Report on Subsidised Theatre in the United Kingdom (L. Donoughue).

Legislation - Horserace Totalisator Board Bill [HL] (third reading); Theft (Amendment) Bill [HL] (third reading); Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Bill [HL] (committee stage).

Delegated Legislation - Port of Tyne Authority (Transfer of Undertaking) Order 1996 - Motion for approval.

Unstarred Question - Replacement of HMY Britannia (L. Ashbourne).

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER (2.30pm)

Oral Questions - Manchester city centre: Funds received after IRA bombing (L. Dean of Beswick); Appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen of the boards of visitors of prisons by Ministers of the Crown (L. Harris of Greenwich); Housing for families of Gurkhas relocated to the United Kingdom (L. Holme of Cheltenham); Long-term health of British oak trees: Imports of seedlings (L. Campbell of Croy).

Debates - Role of the family (L. Northbourne).

Legislation - Education (Special Educational Needs) Bill [HL] (committee stage).

Unstarred Question - Effects on the United Kingdom art market of European harmonisation directives on VAT and artists' resale rights (V. Blakenham).

THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER (3.00pm)

Oral Questions - Humanitarian needs in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (L. Judd); Estimated cost of the Trident nuclear fleet (L. Jenkins of Putney); Representations of the Training and Enterprise Councils' National Council on training programmes for the unemployed (L. Dormand of Easington).

Legislation - National Heritage Bill [HL] (third reading); Welfare of Broiler Chickens Bill [HL] (committee stage); British Nationality (Hong Kong) Bill [HL] (second reading); Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill [HL] (second reading).

Delegated Legislation - Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1997; Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland Consequential Amendments) Order 1997; Town and Country Planning (Fees for Application and Deemed Applications) (Scotland) Regulations 1997; Town and Country Planning (Fees for Application and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) Regulations 1997; Financial Services Act 1986 (Extension of Scope of Act) Order 1996 - Motions for approval.

Unstarred Question - ELBS (Education Low-Priced Book Scheme) replacement: Promotion by the ODA (Overseas Development Agency) (L. St. John of Bletso).

PROVISIONAL FUTURE BUSINESS

MONDAY 16 DECEMBER

Legislation - Civil Procedure Bill [HL] (third reading); Firearms (Amendment) Bill (second reading).

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER

Legislation - National Health Service (Primary Care) Bill [HL] (committee stage).

Delegated Legislation - Social Security (Child Maintenance Bonus) Regulations 1996; Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 1996; Social Security (Incapacity for Work and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1996; Local Authorities (Contracting Out of Allocation of Housing and Homelessness Functions) Order 1996 - Motions for approval.

WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER

Debates - Role of the media in a democratic society (L. Chalfont); Human rights situation in China and Tibet (L. Avebury).

Legislation - Obscenity Bill [HL] (second reading).

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER

Debate - Code of Conduct and Ethics for the Civil Service (B. Hayman).

Christmas Recess - Thursday 19 December 1996 to Monday 13 January 1997.

MONDAY 13 JANUARY

Legislation - Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Bill [HL] (report stage).

THURSDAY 16 JANUARY

Unstarred Question - Establishment of a unit within the Ministry of Defence responsible for the welfare of ex-service personnel and their dependents (B. Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde).

WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY

Introduction - Lord Bishop of Hereford.

Debate - Economic value of the international work of the City of London and systems of corporate governance (E. of Gowrie).

HOUSE OF LORDS SELECT COMMITTEES:
PUBLIC MEETINGS

Meetings of the following Committees (and their sub-committees) only are listed: Delegated Powers and Deregulation Committee (formerly Delegated Powers Scrutiny Committee); European Communities; Public Service; Science & Technology.

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER

PUBLIC SERVICE, COMMITTEE ON 4.15pm

Evidence will be heard.

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee I (Framework Programme) 10.45am

Evidence: From (i) Professor T. M. Husband, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Salford; (ii) Professor R. Sibson, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Kent at Canterbury; (iii) Professor R. C. Floud, Provost, London Guildhall University, Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and (iv) Sir William Stewart, FRSE, FRS.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) 4.30pm

Evidence: From (i) Consumers' Association; (ii) the National Consumer Council; (iii) Consumers in Europe Group and (iv) the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, on Consumer Guarantees.

THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee II (Innovation-Exploitation Barrier) 10.45am

Evidence: From Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, University of Cambridge and (ii) Mr Pendarell Kent, Bank of England.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee B (Energy, Industry and Transport) 10.45am

Evidence: From Mr James Knapp, General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and President of the Railway Workers Section of the International Transport Workers Federation on Community Railway Strategy.

PROVISIONAL FUTURE BUSINESS

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER

PUBLIC SERVICE, COMMITTEE ON 4.15pm

Evidence: From (i) Mrs Ann Bowtell, CB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Social Security and (ii) Miss Ann Chant, Chief Executive, Child Support Agency.

WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee B (Energy, Industry and Transport) 10.45am

Evidence: From (i) Mr Martin Brennan, Director of Freight Regulation, the Office of the Rail Regulator and (ii) Mr John Watts MP, Minister for Railways and Roads, Department of Transport, on Community Railway Strategy.

Sub-Committee C (Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) 11.00am

Evidence: From the Confederation of British Industry and possibly others, on Environmental Policy: Monitoring, Enforcement and Transparency.

Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) 4.30pm

Evidence: From (i) the British Retail Consortium and (ii) the Confederation of British Industry, on Consumer Guarantees.

Christmas Recess - Thursday 19 December 1996 to Monday 13 January 1997.

TUESDAY 14 JANUARY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee I (Framework Programme) 10.45am

Evidence: From Sir Dai Rees.

WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee C (Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) 11.00am

Evidence may be heard on Environmental Policy: Monitoring, Enforcement and Transparency.

Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) 4.30pm

Evidence will be heard on Consumer Guarantees.

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee A (Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and External Relations) 10.45am

Evidence will be heard.

WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee II (Innovation-Exploitation Barrier) 10.45am

Evidence: From Mr William Castell, FCA, Chief Executive, Amersham International.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) 4.30pm

Evidence will be heard on Consumer Guarantees.

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee A (Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and External Relations) 11.00am

Evidence: From Commissioner Monika Wulf-Mathies, Directorate-General XVI, Regional Policy and Cohesion.

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee II (Innovation-Exploitation Barrier) 10.45am

Evidence: From Mr David Quysner, Chairman, British Venture Capital Association and (ii) the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee E (Law and Institutions) 4.30pm

Evidence will be heard on Consumer Guarantees.

TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee A (Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and External Relations) 10.45am

Evidence: From Sr Speciale, Chairman, Regional Policy committee.