Business Today: Chamber for Thursday 12 February 2015

9.30am Prayers

Followed by

 Private Business

Transport for London Bill [Lords]: Consideration

No debate, and may not be proceeded with if opposed (Standing Order No. 20)

 QUESTIONS

Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

1Mr Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire)
What assistance his Department provides to small farm companies in supply chains. (907592)

2Jim McGovern (Dundee West)
What discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport and with the devolved administrations on ensuring that their policies meet the skills needs of the technology and video games sectors. (907593)

3Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock)
What steps he is taking to increase the number of engineers. (907594)

4Michael Connarty (Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
What steps he plans to take to safeguard the universal service obligation for the delivery of mail. (907597)

5Grahame M. Morris (Easington)
If he will take steps to increase apprenticeship places and support small businesses through greater use of government procurement. (907600)

6Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central)
What assessment he has made of the sustainability of the student loan system. (907601)

7Mr David Hanson (Delyn)
If he will review the use by banks of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme. (907602)

8Mark Menzies (Fylde)
What steps he is taking to support the manufacturing sector. (907605)

9Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)
What steps he is taking to promote investment in innovation in the manufacturing sector. (907606)

10Valerie Vaz (Walsall South)
What recent assessment he has made of the availability of finance for small firms and the level of lending by banks to small businesses. (907607)

11Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East)
What recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the UK's EU membership to businesses and the UK economy. (907610)

12Mr Alan Reid (Argyll and Bute)
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the location of the UK's first spaceport. (907612)

13Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire)
What steps he is taking to widen access to higher education. (907614)

14Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon)
What the Government's policy is on the creation of the Digital Single Market; and if he will make a statement. (907616)

At 10.15 am

Topical Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

T1Jim McGovern (Dundee West)
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. (907618)

T2Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon) (907620)

T3Charlotte Leslie (Bristol North West) (907621)

T4Mr Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West) (907622)

T5Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (907624)

T6Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East) (907625)

 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))

Pubs and planning legislation

Charlotte Leslie

Greg Mulholland

Grahame M. Morris

Dr Julian Huppert

That this House notes New Economics Foundation research showing that local economies benefit twice as much from a pound spent in a pub rather than a supermarket; expresses concern that valued and viable pubs are being lost due to permitted development rights which allow pubs to be demolished or turned into supermarkets and other uses without planning permission, denying local people any say; notes that supermarket chains are deliberately targeting pubs and further notes CAMRA research that two pubs a week are converted into supermarkets; supports CAMRA’S Pub Matters campaign calling for an end to permitted development rights on pubs; notes that any change of use to a nightclub, laundrette or theatre requires planning permission, making it odd to refuse pubs the same status; notes plans to remove permitted development rights from pubs listed as Assets of Community Value (ACVs), and calls on the Government to announce how and when this will happen; notes, however, that pubs achieving ACV status is not as simple as Ministers have suggested, with the requirement for local communities to provide boundaries and plans and that every pub must be listed separately making it unrealistic for communities to protect all valued pubs; further notes that each ACV application costs local authorities over a thousand pounds, and listing all valued UK pubs as ACVs would cost millions of pounds and create significant bureaucracy; and therefore calls on the Government to make a simpler change and put pubs into the sui generis category so that communities can comment on a proposal to convert or demolish a pub.

Relevant documents:

Sixth Report from the Communities and Local Government Committee, Community Rights, HC 262

Destruction and looting of historic sites in Syria and Iraq

Robert Jenrick

That this House has considered destruction and looting of historic sites in Syria and Iraq.

Mental health and wellbeing of Londoners

Ms Diane Abbott

That this House has considered mental health and wellbeing of Londoners.

Notes:

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

 PRESENTATION OF PUBLIC PETITIONS

No debate or decision (Standing Order No. 153)

Stance of Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Hamas: Sir David Amess

Closure of Barclays Bank in St Agnes: Sarah Newton

 ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

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

Economic contribution of the Scotch whisky industry: Mr Alan Reid

BUSINESS TODAY: WESTMINSTER HALL

 ORDER OF BUSINESS

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

1.30pm

Effect of national infrastructure projects on local redevelopment: Mr Andy Slaughter

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 this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

WRITTEN STATEMENTS

 Statements to be made today

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

1.Regional Growth Fund

Secretary of State for Education

2.Publication of Reformed GCSE and A Level Content

3.School Places

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

4.January’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

5.London P5 Conference

6.Withdrawal of Diplomatic Staff from the British Embassy in Sana’a on security grounds

Secretary of State for Health

7.Statutory Guidance to Trust Special Administrators

Secretary of State for the Home Department

8.Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures

Leader of the House

9.House of Commons Commission Bill: ‘Keeling’ Schedule

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.

 Delegated Legislation Committees

Seventeenth Delegated Legislation Committee

To consider the draft European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Association Agreement) (Ukraine) Order 2015, the draft European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Association Agreement) (Georgia) Order 2015 and the draft European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Association Agreement) (Moldova) Order 2015

Room 9

11.30am (public)

 Select Committees

High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill

Room 5

11.00am (private)

 Other Committees

Public Accounts Commission

Subject: NAO's Estimate for 2015/16

Witnesses: Sir Amyas Morse KCB, Comptroller and Auditor General, Lord Bichard, Chair, and Michael Whitehouse, Chief Operating Officer, National Audit Office

Room 8

2.00pm (private), 2.10pm (public)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Future Departments Answering in Westminster Hall

Week beginning 2 March

Applications for General or Short Debates should be made in writing to the Table Office by 7.00pm or the rise of House, whichever is the earlier, on Tuesday 24 February. The Ballot will take place on Wednesday 25 February.

Communities and Local Government; Culture, Media and Sport; Defence; Energy and Climate Change; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Health; Northern Ireland; Scotland; Treasury; Women and Equalities; Work and Pensions

Week beginning 9 March

Attorney General; Business, Innovation and Skills; Cabinet Office; Deputy Prime Minister; Education; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Home Office; International Development; Justice; Leader of the House; Transport; Wales

 february ADJOURNMENT 2015–TABLING OF PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

Members wishing to table questions in person may do so in the usual way through the Table Office until 5.30pm or the rising of the House, whichever is earlier, on Thursday 12 February. Thereafter, Members may table questions for oral and written answer electronically or by post. Questions for written answer received after 12 February and before 4.30pm on Friday 20 February will be treated as if tabled on 20 February.

Questions for oral answer

Under Standing Order No. 22(6), the Speaker has made the following arrangements for tabling Questions for oral answer when the House returns:

The results of the shuffles on 12 February will be published on 13 February. They will be available from the Vote Office and on the internet at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmfutoral/futoral.pdf

For further details of last tabling days for other departments and answering bodies, see the Order of Questions rota available from the Vote Office and on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-table-office/order-of-oral-questions1.pdf

Notes:

* The latest time for tabling is 12.30pm on each of these days

** First sitting day after adjournment

Questions for written answer

The latest day for tabling a Question for written answer on a named day before the February Adjournment was Monday 9 February (for answer on Thursday 12 February).

 FEBRUARY ADJOURNMENT 2015–TABLING OF AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC BILLS

Members wishing to table amendments to public bills in person, or via introduced staff, may do so in the usual way in the Public Bill Office until the rise of the House on Thursday 12 February. Such amendments will be available online, and in the printed provisional papers (‘the blues’), on Friday 13 February. During the recess, Members may submit amendments in person, via introduced staff or, if signed, by other staff or by post.

The table below shows the deadlines, selection eligibility and first publication time, for amendments handed in during the recess.

The deadline for amendments for the Report stage of the Serious Crime Bill on Monday 23 February is 4.30pm on Wednesday 18 February.

*Amendments are generally available online the morning following the deadline–provisionally ‘marshalled’ into the order in which they relate to the bill. In the printed ‘blues’, they appear in the order in which they were submitted.