Business Today: Chamber for Thursday 23 October 2014

9.30am Prayers

Followed by

 QUESTIONS

Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

1Sir Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex)
What steps he is taking to relieve congestion on roads. (905598)

2Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)
What assessment he has made of the merits of granting provisional licences for small motorbikes and scooters. (905599)

3Mr William Bain (Glasgow North East)
What recent discussions he has had with stakeholders in the aviation industry on the use of flight paths over conflict zones. (905600)

4Richard Graham (Gloucester)
What recent estimate he has made of the change in the number of rail passenger journeys in each of the last three years. (905601)

5Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury)
What progress he has made on improvements to the A417 and A419 at Nettleton Bottom and Crickley Hill; and if he will make a statement. (905603)

6Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
What steps he is taking to relieve congestion on roads. (905606)

7Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East)
How many of the shortlisted bidders for the Intercity East Coast franchise are wholly or partly foreign-owned. (905609)

8Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East)
What recent progress has been made on the Tram Train project. (905610)

9Toby Perkins (Chesterfield)
What recent progress his Department has made on the rail electrification programme. (905611)

10Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough)
What plans he has to improve rail services in the East Midlands. (905612)

11Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South)
What recent discussions he has had with his Department's Quality Contract Board. (905613)

12Susan Elan Jones (Clwyd South)
What research he has conducted into the effect on the number of deaths and serious injuries of increasing HGV speed limits. (905615)

13John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead)
What steps he is taking to improve passenger safety in taxis and private hire vehicles. (905616)

14Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
What financial assistance he is providing to local authorities to repair potholes. (905617)

At 10.05am

Topical Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

T1Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields)
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. (905618)

T2Duncan Hames (Chippenham) (905619)

T3David Mowat (Warrington South) (905620)

T4Sir Bob Russell (Colchester) (905621)

T5Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (905622)

T6Mark Menzies (Fylde) (905623)

T7Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (905624)

T8Mr Nicholas Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne East) (905625)

T9Mr Mark Spencer (Sherwood) (905626)

T10Roberta Blackman-Woods (City of Durham) (905627)

At 10.15am

Oral Questions to the Leader of the House and the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission

1Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
To ask the Leader of the House, What recent progress he has made as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. (905588)

2Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury)
To ask the Leader of the House, If he will make it his policy that topical questions be asked in the House to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. (905589)

3Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West)
To ask the Leader of the House, What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of September sittings of the House. (905590)

4Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)
To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, What steps he is taking to reward staff for exceptional work in supporting hon. Members. (905591)

5Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton)
To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, What recent representations he has received on the case for a rescue cat being adopted to control the mouse population on the Parliamentary Estate. (905593)

6Andrew Stephenson (Pendle)
To ask the Leader of the House, What plans he has to improve the system of e-petitions. (905594)

7Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle)
To ask the Leader of the House, What recent progress he has made as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. (905595)

8Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)
To ask the Leader of the House, What progress he has made on plans for changes to the devolution settlement in the UK. (905596)

9Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham)
To ask the Leader of the House, What plans he has to improve the system of e-petitions. (905597)

 URGENT QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS

10.30am

Urgent Questions (if any)

Business Question to the Leader of the House

Ministerial Statements (if any)

 BUSINESS OF THE DAY

1. BACKBENCH BUSINESS

Until 5.00pm (Standing Order No. 9(3))

Repeal of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011

Richard Drax

Sir Edward Leigh

Mr Frank Field

Sir Peter Bottomley

Mr Bernard Jenkin

That this House believes that the Government should bring forward proposals to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

Relevant documents:

Second Report of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, Session 2010-12, Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, HC 436, and the Government response, Cm 7951

Thirteenth Report of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, Session 2013-14, Fixed-term Parliaments: the final year of a Parliament, HC 976

Oral hormone pregnancy tests

Yasmin Qureshi

Nick de Bois

Jacob Rees-Mogg

That this House notes that children were born with serious deformities due to hormone pregnancy test drugs taken by expectant mothers between 1953 and 1975; also notes with concern that as the surviving victims enter their forties and fifties many of them face a host of new problems as their bodies continue to suffer; further notes that no official warnings were issued about these drugs until eight years after the first reports indicated possible dangers; further notes that some doctors continued to prescribe the drugs for pregnant women after official warnings from the Committee on Safety of Medicines; calls on the Secretary of State for Health to fully disclose all documents relating to the use of Hormone Pregnancy Tests held by the Department from the period between 1953 and 1978; and also calls on the Secretary of State to set up an independent panel to examine these documents.

Notes:

The subjects for both debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

 ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

Until 5.30pm or for half an hour (whichever is later) (Standing Order No. 9(7))

Cyberbullying and digital anonymity: Charlie Elphicke

BUSINESS TODAY: WESTMINSTER HALL

 ORDER OF BUSINESS

The sitting will last for three hours (Standing Order No. 10(1))

1.30pm

Communicating climate science, Eighth Report from the Science and Technology Committee, Session 2013-14, HC 254, and the Government response, HC 376

Notes:

The debate will arise on a Motion for the adjournment, to be moved by a Minister.

The sitting will be suspended and time added if divisions take place in the main Chamber (Standing Order No. 10(1)).

The subject for debate was chosen by the Liaison Committee.

WRITTEN STATEMENTS

 Statements to be made today

Attorney General

1.Serious Fraud Office (Contingencies Fund Advance)

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

2.Sporting Legacy

Secretary of State for Health

3.Care Act 2014 (part 1)–publication of statutory guidance and response to consultation

Secretary of State for Justice

4.More support for separating couples and parents and court users in family and civil cases

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

5.Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 16 October 2014, Luxembourg

6.Support in Universal Credit

Notes:

Texts of Written Statements are available from the Vote Office and on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/todays-written-statements/.

COMMITTEES MEETING TODAY

The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be changed without notice.

 Public Bill Committees

Childcare Payments Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Room 14

11.30am (public)

Childcare Payments Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Room 14

2.00pm (public)

Pension Schemes Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Witnesses: Dominic Lindley, Consultant, Peter Vicary-Smith, Group Chief Executive, Which?, and Tim Sharp, Pensions Policy Officer, Trades Union Congress (until no later than 12.15pm); Chris Curry, Director, Pensions Policy Institute, Dr Ros Altmann, pensions expert, and Jane Vass, Head of Public Policy, Age UK (until no later than 1.00pm)

The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

11.30am (public)

Pension Schemes Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Witnesses: Dr Yvonne Braun, Assistant Director, Head of Savings, Retirement and Social Care, Association of British Insurers, Dr Debbie Harrison, Visiting Professor of the Pensions Institute, Cass Business School, and Joanne Segars, Chief Executive, National Association of Pension Funds (until no later than 3.00pm); John Greenwood, pension journalist, James Lloyd, Director, Strategic Society Centre, and Ian Fairweather, Consultant, Towers Watson (until no later than 4.00pm); Rt Hon Steve Webb MP, Minister for Pensions, Department for Work and Pensions (until no later than 4.45pm)

The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

2.00pm (public)

Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Room 10

11.30am (public)

Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Further to consider the Bill

Room 10

2.00pm (public)

 Select Committees

High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill

Subject: High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill

Witnesses: HS2 Action Alliance Ltd

Room 5

9.20am (private), 9.30am (public)

Political and Constitutional Reform

Subject: (i) The future of devolution after the referendum; (ii) What next on the redrawing of Parliamentary boundaries?

Witnesses: (i) Professor Jim Gallagher CB, Nuffield College, Oxford; (ii) Professor Ron Johnston and David Rossiter (at 11.00am)

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

9.45am (private), 10.00am (public)

House of Commons Governance

Subject: House of Commons Governance

Witnesses: Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP, Chair, Liaison Committee, Rt Hon Sir Alan Haselhurst MP, Chair, Administration Committee, and Rt Hon John Thurso MP, Chair, Finance and Services Committee

Room 16

11.30am (private), 11.45am (public)

 Other Committees

Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament

Subject: Privacy and Security

Witnesses: Sir David Omand

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

11.15am (public)

Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament

Subject: Privacy and Security

Witnesses: Rt Hon Mr Philip Hammond MP

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

1.00pm (public)

COMMITTEE REPORTS PUBLISHED TODAY

 DEFENCE

5th Report: Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill, HC 508

Time of publication: 00.01am

 TREASURY

6th Report: Project Verde, HC 728

Time of publication: 00.01am

 ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4th Special Report: Innovate to accumulate: the Government’s approach to low carbon innovation: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report of Session 2014–15, HC 733

Time of publication: 11.00am

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Future Departments Answering in Westminster Hall

Week beginning 3 November

Applications for General or Short Debates should be made in writing to the Table Office by 7pm or rise of the House, whichever is the earlier, on Tuesday 28 October. The Ballot will take place on Wednesday 29 October.

Communities and Local Government; Culture, Media and Sport; Defence; Education; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Health; Justice; Northern Ireland; Scotland; Women and Equalities.

Weeks beginning 10 November and 24 November

Attorney General; Business, Innovation and Skills; Cabinet Office; Deputy Prime Minister; Energy and Climate Change; Home Office; International Development; Leader of the House; Transport; Treasury; Wales; Work and Pensions.

Week beginning 17 November

Communities and Local Government; Culture, Media and Sport; Defence; Education; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Health; Justice; Northern Ireland; Scotland; Women and Equalities.