FORTHCOMING BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS
17 FEBRUARY - 21 FEBRUARY

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

MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY (2.30pm)

Oral Questions - Funding of new cathedrals and churches by the Millennium Commission (V. Mersey); Introduction of a care allowance towards the cost of working dogs for the blind, deaf or the disabled (L. Molloy); Voting in and election to the European Parliament by Gibraltarians (L. Merrivale); Latest estimate for the underlying rate of inflation (L. Ezra).

Legislation - Police (Insurance of Voluntary Assistants) Bill [HL] (committee stage); Local Government (Gaelic Names) (Scotland) Bill (committee stage); Telecommunications (Fraud) Bill (third reading); Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill (second reading); Protection from Harassment Bill (committee stage).

Delegated Legislation - Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations 1997; Merchant Shipping (Ro-Ro Passenger Ship Survivability) Regulations 1997 - Motions for Approval.

TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY (2.30pm)

Oral Questions - Timescale for unemployment to return to 1979 levels (L. Dormand of Easington); Total capital value of inward investment from non-European Union countries in the past decade and its estimated annual value (L. Hooson); Cost of action by protesters against the A30 road improvement in Devon (L. Campbell of Croy); Reputation of London as an international art market of probity (L. Renfrew of Kaimsthorn).

Legislation - Crime (Sentences) Bill (committee stage - second day); Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Bill (committee stage).

Delegated Legislation - Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 - Motion for Approval.

WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY (2.30pm)

Introduction - Dame Audrey Emerton DBE

Oral Questions - Viability of physics departments in British universities (B. Lockwood); Action on child labour in response to UNICEF's publication The State of the World's Children 1997 (L. Judd); Mental health services Green Paper: Responses to the Reports by Sir David Goldberg and the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts (B. Turner of Camden);

Debates - Report of the Commission on the Regulation of Privatised Utilities published by the Hansard Society (L. Currie of St. Marylebone); The state of welfare of children, in particular child abuse and effects of paedophilia (L. Eames); Financial Statement and Budget Report 1997-98 (L. Mackay of Ardbrecknish).

THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY (3.00pm)

Oral Questions - Reduction in the cost of Legal Aid to the taxpayer (L. Boyd-Carpenter); Numbers of prostitutes under the age of 18 in the United Kingdom (L. Hylton); Position of the United Kingdom's merchant fleet in the world league table (L. Clinton-Davis).

Legislation - Architects Bill [HL] (committee on re-commitment); Lieutenancies Bill [HL] (committee on re-commitment); Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Bill [HL] (committee on re-commitment); United Nations Personnel Bill (committee stage); Sundays (Dancing and Licensing) Bill [HL] (third reading); Firearms (Amendment) Bill (consideration of any Commons amendments - if Bill returned from Commons); Crime (Sentences) Bill (committee stage - third day).

Delegated Legislation - Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 1997; Social Security (Contribution) (Re-rating and National Insurance Fund Payments) Order 1997; Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 1997; Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (General) Amendment Regulations 1997; Social Security (Contributions) Amendment Regulations 1997; Deregulation (Validity of Civil Preliminaries to Marriage) Order 1997 - Motions for Approval.

PROVISIONAL FUTURE BUSINESS

MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY

Legislation - Criminal Evidence (Amendment) Bill (committee stage); Police (Insurance of Voluntary Assistants) Bill [HL] (third reading); Local Government (Gaelic Names) Bill (third reading); Education Bill (committee stage); Knives Bill (second reading).

TUESDAY 25 FEBRUARY

Legislation - Education Bill (committee stage - second day).

Unstarred Question - Reallocation of specialities among West London hospitals (L. Glenarthur).

WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY

Introductions - Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber; Raj Kumar Bagri.

Debates - The case for a strategic authority for London (E. of Carnarvon).

Unstarred Question - Systems and safeguards for distribution of National Lottery funds for film production (V. of Falkland).

THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY

Legislation - United Nations Personnel Bill (third reading); Policyholders Protection Bill (committee stage); Crime (Sentences) Bill (committee stage).

Unstarred Question - Impact on independent retailers of Chancellor's budget provisions on excise duties (E. Northesk).

ROYAL ASSENT

FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY

Delegated Legislation - Two Legal Aid Orders.

Legislation - Police (Property) Bill (second reading).

HOUSE OF LORDS SELECT COMMITTEES: PUBLIC MEETINGS

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

TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY

PUBLIC SERVICE, COMMITTEE ON 4.15pm

Evidence: From the Rt Hon the Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish, Minister of State for Social Security.

WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Sub-Committee C (Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection) 10.45am

Evidence: From (i) English Nature, (ii) the Countryside Council for Wales and (iii) the Institute for European Environmental Policy, on Environmental Policy: Monitoring, Enforcement and Transparency.

Sub-Committee D (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) 11.30am

Evidence: From MAFF officials on the EC Tobacco Regime.

PROVISIONAL FUTURE BUSINESS

WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

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

Evidence: From Directorate-General XI of the European Commission, on Environmental Policy: Monitoring, Enforcement and Transparency.