House of Lords Business

Thursday 3 March 2016 at 11.00am

*Oral Questions, 30 minutes

*Lord Sharkey to ask Her Majesty’s Government what help they provide to Muslim students whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking interest-charging student loans.

*Lord Redesdale to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many non-domestic water bills are estimated, rather than calculated through automatic meter readings.

*Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle the incidence of deaths, serious assaults and incidents of self-harm in prison.

*Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication on 1 March of the Chief Inspector of Prisons’ Report on an unannounced inspection of Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre: Harmondsworth site, what action they are taking to rectify the situation.

†Business of the House The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) to move that Standing Order 46 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be dispensed with on Tuesday 8 March to allow the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill to be taken through its remaining stages that day.

Housing and Planning Bill Committee (day 3) [Baroness Williams of Trafford] 20th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the principles of the circular economy, based on the re-use, repair, refurbishment and recycling of existing materials and products, to protect the environment, give new growth opportunities and avoid waste. (Lunch break business, 1 hour)

Grand Committee in the Moses Room at 2.00pm

Armed Forces Bill Committee (day 2) [Earl Howe]

Future Business 

Monday 7 March at 2.30pm

*Lord Spicer to ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the £42.5 million grant made through the Homelessness Change programme for hostel bed refurbishment has been allocated to tackling rough sleeping.

*Viscount Ridley to ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect they expect Article 20 of the 2014 EU Tobacco Products Directive, when implemented in May, to have on the rate at which people give up smoking by the use of vaping devices.

*Lord Shipley to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of affordable housing.

*Baroness Thomas of Winchester to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will re-assess as a matter of urgency the Personal Independence Payment assessment which has led to many working-age disabled people losing their existing entitlement to a Motability car.

The following two motions are expected to be debated together:

Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 Lord O’Neill of Gatley to move that the draft Regulations laid before the House on 14 January be approved. 23rd Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

Baroness Manzoor to move, as an amendment to the above motion, at the end to insert "but that this House regrets that the draft Regulations reduce incentives for low-income working people to increase their salaries, will lead to an increase in overpayments of tax credits, and could place families in additional hardship at the end of the financial year".

Baroness Williams of Trafford to move that this House takes note of the progress made in the United Kingdom in the areas of women’s representation and empowerment 150 years after the 1866 petition to the House of Commons for women’s suffrage.

Tuesday 8 March at 2.30pm

*Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations framework launched in November 2015 with the aim of preventing violence against women, gender inequality, discriminatory practices and harmful cultural and social norms.

*Baroness Rebuck to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to improve the reading skills of 16 to 24 year-old women to ensure that they have a good start in life, and to support their wellbeing and social mobility.

*Baroness Gale to ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are planning to take to increase the representation of women in political and public life.

Topical oral question. Ballot to be drawn at 1pm on Friday 4 March.

†Lord Ashton of Hyde intends to move the following four motions en bloc: but if any Lord objects the motions must be moved separately to the extent desired.

†Employment Allowance (Increase of Maximum Amount) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde to move that the Regulations laid before the House on 25 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March.

†Employment Allowance (Excluded Companies) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde to move that the draft Regulations laid before the House on 25 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March.

†Social Security (Contributions) (Limits and Thresholds Amendments and National Insurance Funds Payments) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde to move that the draft Regulations laid before the House on 25 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March.

†Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde to move that the draft Order laid before the House on 4 February be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March.

If the Business of the House motion relating to the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill to be taken on Thursday 3 March is agreed to, it is expected that the second reading and remaining stages will be taken.

It is expected that the Committee stage of the Housing and Planning Bill will continue.

The Lord Bishop of Coventry to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the prospects for a political solution to the civil war in Syria. (Dinner break business, 1 hour)

Wednesday 9 March at 3.00pm

*Lord Chidgey to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the principal lessons that can be learned from communities affected by the Ebola epidemic in preparedness for future health crises.

*Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask Her Majesty’s Government why they are proposing to prevent some parents and organisations from objecting to violations of the School Admissions Code.

*Baroness Burt of Solihull to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of adults attending part-time higher or further education classes while maintaining a career.

Topical oral question. Ballot opens at 3pm on Thursday 3 March, to be drawn at 1pm on Monday 7 March.

Immigration Bill Report [Lord Bates]

†Lord Burns to move that this House takes note of the Report from the Trade Union Political Funds and Political Party Funding Committee (HL Paper 106).

Thursday 10 March at 11.00am

*Baroness Valentine to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a final decision will be taken on airports expansion before the summer recess. [I]Category 2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.
Chief Executive and Board Member, London First (a not-for-profit business membership organisation and pressure group to improve London’s business environment; funded by subscriptions, London First’s activity includes lobbying of Parliament from time to time, but not on behalf of specific clients; no personal clients)

*Lord Campbell-Savours to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review the law concerning those making false accusations in relation to sexual offences.

*The Earl of Clancarty to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to maintain the 80 per cent mandatory business rate relief for charitable bodies, including arts organisations and museums.

Topical oral question. Ballot opens at 3pm on Friday 4 March, to be drawn at 1pm on Tuesday 8 March.

It is expected that the Committee stage of the Housing and Planning Bill will continue.

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the discussions surrounding the renewal of the BBC Charter. (Lunch break business, 1 hour)

Friday 11 March at 10.00am

Gambling (Categorisation and Use of B2 Gaming Machines) Bill [HL] Second Reading [Lord Clement-Jones]

Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information) Bill Committee [Lord Ramsbotham]

Monday 14 March at 2.30pm

*Lord German to ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their intentions regarding the tolls on the Severn Crossings when the bridges return to public ownership.

*Baroness Tyler of Enfield to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to publish data regularly on the availability and quality of NHS-funded mental health services across the country.

*Lord Lexden to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the police, social services and other agencies work together effectively to protect vulnerable children from sexual abuse.

*Lord Dubs to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the public benefit of taxpayer confidentiality for businesses and private individuals.

Tuesday 15 March at 2.30pm

*Lord Beith to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the total number of prisoners on their plans for prison reform.

*Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to implement the recommendations of the review by Darren Henley on cultural education in England.

*The Lord Bishop of St Albans to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the social impact of category B2 gaming machines.

Wednesday 16 March at 3.00pm

*Lord Harrison to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s productivity in relation to that of other European Union and G20 states.

*Lord Beecham to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent event involving a passenger flight, what steps they are taking to prevent the misuse of laser equipment.

*Baroness Seccombe to ask Her Majesty’s Government by how much the amount a person can earn before paying tax has changed since the 2010 budget; and how many people have been affected by this change.

Thursday 17 March at 11.00am

*Lord Farmer to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many job vacancies there currently are in the United Kingdom economy.

*Baroness Jenkin of Kennington to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many net additional jobs have been created in the United Kingdom since 2010, and what assessment they have made, if any, of how that figure compares to those of the 19 nations of the Eurozone.

*Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual net cost of the United Kingdom’s contribution to the European Union.

Monday 21 March at 2.30pm

Lord Price will be introduced.

*Lord Rooker to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will bring forward measures of preventative medicine to reduce the numbers of stillbirths, abortions and live births of babies with serious life-long disability due to neural tube defects.

*Baroness Barker to ask Her Majesty’s Government what representatives they intend to send to the forthcoming 2016 Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference to be co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the government of Uruguay in Uruguay.

*Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety and reliability of the National Health Service 111 service.

*Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of clinical commissioning groups commission specialist palliative care for seven-day services in the community and in hospitals and for ensuring advice is available to health and social care staff at all times.

Tuesday 22 March at 2.30pm

*Lord Taverne to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce measures to convert National Insurance contributions into a special tax for funding health and social care.

*Lord Soley to ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies are in place to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the United Kingdom and what new proposals they are considering.

*Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the levels of service provision and council tax following local authority budget decisions for 2016–17.

†Wednesday 23 March at 11.00am

*Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to legislate to introduce secret ballots for all employees to ratify decisions made at a company’s annual general meeting on the remuneration of that company’s directors and its five most highly paid employees.

*Baroness Andrews to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to secure the future of local and regional museums.

*Baroness Watkins of Tavistock to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under their shared ownership scheme, a property owner can let out a room to another person, and if not, why not.

The full lists of Other Motions for Debate and Questions for Short Debate are available online daily. The list of all Questions for Short Debate currently tabled will next be printed in the edition available on Monday 7 March.

Select Committee Reports 

The dates on which the reports were published are in italics.

Lord Best to move that this House takes note of the Report from the Communications Committee Press Regulation: where are we now? (3rd Report, Session 2014–15, HL Paper 135). 23 March 2015

Baroness Morgan of Huyton to move that this House takes note of the Report from the Digital Skills Committee (Session 2014–15, HL Paper 111). 17 February 2015

Baroness Prashar to move that this House takes note of the Report from the European Union Committee The EU Action Plan against migrant smuggling (4th Report, HL Paper 46). 3 November 2015

Baroness Scott of Needham Market to move that this House takes note of the Report from the European Union Committee EU energy governance (6th Report, HL Paper 71). 18 December 2015

Other Motion for Debate 

Lord Saatchi to move that Standing Order 46 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be dispensed with to allow any Bill in the form in which the Medical Innovation Bill [HL] was approved by this House and sent to the Commons on 23 January 2015 in the last Parliament to be taken through all its remaining stages on one day.

Motions relating to Delegated Legislation 

Lord Beecham to move that this House regrets that the draft Civil Proceedings, Family Proceedings and Upper Tribunal Fees (Amendment) Order 2016 further increases enhanced fees in certain proceedings that will be detrimental to victims of domestic violence and disproportionately discriminate against women; is concerned that the Government have acted against the advice of the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls, and the President of the Family Division, among others; and notes the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee’s disappointment that despite strong concern expressed by respondents to the public consultation the Government give no policy justification other than the generation of income. 20th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, 14th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to move that this House regrets that the National Health Service (Mandate Requirements) Regulations 2016, in setting the budget for NHS England for the next five years, make wholly unrealistic assumptions about the financial viability of the National Health Service thereby putting patient safety and quality of service at risk (SI 2016/51). 24th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

Baroness Featherstone to move that this House regrets that the draft Renewables Obligation Closure Etc. (Amendment) Order 2016 will close the Renewables Obligation to solar photovoltaic installations smaller than 5MW on 1 April; notes that this will have a detrimental effect on rooftop solar and community energy schemes, which will be left with no support, and that the date for closure is much earlier than expected by the industry, causing a significant reduction in investor confidence across the industry; and calls on Her Majesty’s Government to reinstate the Renewables Obligation for solar under 5MW and guarantee that existing solar projects will not be affected by future changes to policy. 24th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

Baroness Parminter to move that this House regrets that Her Majesty’s Government are moving to non-statutory codes regarding the welfare of farm and domestic animals through the draft Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Meat Chickens and Breeding Chickens (Revocation) (England) Order 2016, and calls on the Government urgently to produce guidelines on how such codes should be drawn up and reviewed.

Questions for Short Debate 

Time limit 1 hour or 1½ hours.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to develop a national strategy on post-polio syndrome. (10 September)

Lord Lexden to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in 2016. (14 September)

Lord Storey to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the most effective ways of teaching children with dyslexia. (16 September)

Lord Borwick to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Deloitte’s report Technology and people: The great job-creating machine published in August. (12 October)

Lord Lucas to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a new generation of polytechnics to address the technical skills gap. (15 October)

Lord Lipsey to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recommendations on long-term care made by the Dilnot Commission. (19 October)

Lord Harrison to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review the provision of National Health Service maternity services. (19 October)

Baroness Gould of Potternewton to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples. (20 October)

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress and impact of neighbourhood plans. (22 October)

Lord Kennedy of Southwark to ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to determine whether there is a link between congenital malformations and applications of hormone pregnancy tests. (22 October)

Baroness Afshar to ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Iran concerning the treatment of human rights campaigners in that country, as part of the negotiations on lifting sanctions. (2 November: as amended on 3 November)

Lord Singh of Wimbledon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, relating to freedom of religion, is being upheld in India. (4 November)

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they plan to take to relieve pressure on public services due to the consumption of alcohol. (11 November)

Baroness Browning to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the speed and quality of autism diagnoses in the United Kingdom. (17 November) [I]Category 10: Non-financial interests (e)
A Vice President, National Autistic Society

Lord Brabazon of Tara to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek an opt-out from provisions relating to e-cigarettes under Article 20 of the Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU), coming into force in May 2016. (17 November)

Lord Wigley to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the development of British–Argentinian relations during 2015. (24 November)

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent they will implement the recommendations of the House of Commons International Development Committee in their report of July 2014, The UK’s Development Work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. (26 November)

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the state of the rural economy. (30 November)

Lord Patel to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial sustainability of the five-year NHS plan. (1 December)

Lord Berkeley of Knighton to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent NHS figures showing that 1,036 women and girls were treated for female genital mutilation during the period April to June 2015. (1 December)

Earl Attlee to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how quickly an economically active patient should be able to secure an appointment with their GP and how that compares with other professions. (8 December)

Baroness King of Bow to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of diversity in the British media. (8 December)

Viscount Astor to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards the introduction of the Horserace Betting Right. (9 December)

The Earl of Selborne to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. (10 December)

Baroness Greengross to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage people to work longer and be adequately re-trained in later life, as part of their goal to resolve the challenge of skill shortages in certain sectors of the economy. (15 December)

Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the redevelopment of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore; and in particular what the timings will be for that redevelopment. (21 December)

Baroness Hayman to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in supporting Sierra Leone to recover from the effects of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (21 December)

The Earl of Dundee to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote ongoing maternal care for children. (22 December)

Lord Norton of Louth to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that civil servants who advise ministers are knowledgeable as to the role and processes of Parliament and the constitutional relationship between Parliament and the executive. (12 January)

Lord Mitchell to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve broadband quality in the United Kingdom. (13 January)

Lord Lingfield to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve the educational attainment of boys of all ages at state schools. (19 January)

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the accountability, diversity and governance of international standard-setting bodies such as the Financial Stability Board and the Basel Committee on Banking Regulation. (19 January)

Lord Marlesford to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the review of the Muslim Brotherhood (HC 679), in particular its implications for the security of the United Kingdom. (20 January)

Baroness Corston to ask Her Majesty’s Government why they plan to close HMP Holloway. (21 January)

Lord Blencathra to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct an inquiry into the Metropolitan Police Service’s handling of historical sexual abuse allegations made by the person known as "Nick". (21 January)

Lord Allen of Kensington to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to achieve closer working between Innovate UK, Research Councils UK, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and other UK funding bodies in order to improve UK competitiveness. (25 January)

Lord Dholakia to ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to improve the testing, treatment and care of individuals with blood-borne viruses in prisons and secure establishments. (26 January)

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that those responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity against minorities in Syria and Iraq are brought to justice. (27 January)

Lord Leigh of Hurley to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on tackling tax avoidance and tax evasion in the United Kingdom. (27 January)

Baroness Donaghy to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the needs and circumstances of the self-employed are fully taken into account when developing their policies on taxation, savings, employment and social security. (27 January)

Lord Popat to ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Select Committee on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises has had on encouraging firms to export (Session 2012–13, HL Paper 131). (27 January)

Baroness Barker to ask Her Majesty’s Government what the National Health Service is doing to meet the needs of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. (28 January)

Lord Harris of Haringey to ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are considering to enhance the independence and effectiveness of Healthwatch England and of local Healthwatch groups. (1 February)

Lord Boateng to ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to reinstating the Department for International Development’s country programme in Burundi. (1 February)

Baroness Tonge to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect the natural resources of the occupied Palestinian territories. (2 February)

Baroness Randerson to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of trends in the provision of bus services in England and the environmental impact of those trends. (3 February)

Baroness Doocey to ask the Leader of the House what systems are in place to monitor the quality of responses given by government departments to parliamentary written questions. (3 February)

Baroness Morris of Bolton to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to help achieve social, economic, cultural and political parity for women in the United Kingdom. (4 February)

Lord Willoughby de Broke to ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Rural Payments Agency has failed to make payments to qualifying farmers within the timetable set out by ministers. (8 February)

Lord O’Shaughnessy to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of schools in promoting social integration. (8 February)

Baroness Humphreys to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of bilingualism and multilingualism to the enrichment of communities in the United Kingdom. (8 February)

Baroness McGregor-Smith to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the issues faced by black and minority ethnic people in the workplace in Britain. (9 February)

Baroness Falkner of Margravine to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made regarding the political situation in Turkey. (9 February)

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of anaerobic digestion, including its contribution to the United Kingdom economy in general, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in enhancing farm resilience, and in improving soil condition. (9 February)

Lord Grantchester to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reform the Pet Travel Scheme in the light of evidence of abuse. (10 February)

The Earl of Glasgow to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a hub airport in the United Kingdom, and where it should be located. (10 February)

Lord Watson of Invergowrie to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their proposal to prevent civil society organisations from objecting to violations of the School Admissions Code, what assessment they have made of the extent to which compliance with that Code is monitored and enforced. (10 February)

Lord Oates to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide funding to allow the construction of a memorial to enslaved Africans in Hyde Park. (11 February)

Baroness Hollins to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in tackling the rate of premature deaths among people with a learning disability. (22 February)

Lord Flight to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the private rental market to meet the country’s housing needs. (22 February)

Baroness Harris of Richmond to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to those affected by the recent flooding in the north of England. (22 February)

Baroness Thomas of Winchester to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to promote the benefits of hydrotherapy for certain long-term progressive conditions, and for rehabilitation after stroke or injury. (22 February)

Baroness Sheehan to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to make it easier for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children with relatives in the United Kingdom to enter the country. (24 February)

Lord Mawson to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of NHS Property Services in contributing to integrated models of primary health care. (25 February)

Lord Loomba to ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that their aid strategy is focused on those countries and regions where needs are greatest. (25 February)

Baroness Cox to ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan regarding offences against civilians in Blue Nile and South Kordofan by government forces. (29 February)

Lord Tyler to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to make data about meetings between ministers and external organisations more consistent, easily accessible and easily searchable; and whether they have plans to make regulations on that subject under section 2(5) of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. (29 February)

Lord Young of Cookham to ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to reduce the incidence of smoking-related diseases. (1 March)

†Baroness Hooper to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards the Pacific Alliance. (2 March)

†Lord Farmer to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to deliver the Life Chances Strategy to transform the lives of the most disadvantaged people in Britain, as outlined by the Prime Minister on 11 January. (2 March)

†Lord Hussain to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the situation in Sudan in the light of the threat posed by Islamic extremists in the surrounding countries. (2 March)

Questions for Written Answer 

Tabled on 2 March and due for answer by 16 March.

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the televised public confession of Kai Zhang prior to formal arrest, indictment or trial; what assessment they have made of what legal assistance he is receiving and what contact he has been permitted to have with his family; what contact the UK authorities have had with him; and what representations they have made to the government of China on his behalf.   HL6642

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made on behalf of the 12 Christian leaders tried in Zhejiang Province of China in February and what assessment they have made of (1) the impact of that trial and the sentences handed down on the right to freedom of religion or belief in China, and (2) how those events have been received in China.   HL6643

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the conditions faced by Pakistani refugees who have been incarcerated in detention centres in Thailand, and (2) the allegations contained in the BBC World documentary Our World, broadcast on 27 February, that women and children are being held there, despite being UN-registered asylum seekers; and when they last discussed that situation with the UNHCR and the government of Thailand. 
   HL6644

Lord Bradley to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individual prisoner screening assessments for learning disabilities were undertaken in each prison in England in each of the last five years.
   HL6645

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress as regards refugees and migrants they are seeking from the planned France–UK, internal EU, EU–Turkey and UNHCR meetings; and whether they will report to Parliament on the results of those meetings.   HL6646

Lord Hylton to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reinforce the Royal Navy’s operations in the Aegean Sea in order to save more lives and to arrest more traffickers. 
   HL6647

Baroness Jowell to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many take charge requests the UK has received from each EU country per year since Dublin III came into force; how many of those were successful; how many involved minors; and how many of those requests involving minors were successful.   HL6648

Baroness Jowell to ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the most common three grounds for refusing a take charge request since Dublin III came into force.   HL6649

Baroness Jowell to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been deported by the UK to each EU country under the terms of Dublin III per year since that Regulation came into force. 
   HL6650

Baroness Jowell to ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent from the public purse on defending the case The Queen on the application ZAT, IAJ, KAM, AAM, MAT, MAJ and LAM v Secretary of State for the Home Department, and how much they estimate will be spent on their appeal.   HL6651

Baroness Jowell to ask Her Majesty’s Government what special steps have been taken to give better effect to Dublin III’s family reunion provisions in Italy and Greece, and what further steps they plan to take.   HL6652

Lord McKenzie of Luton to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve health and safety risk management skills in the construction sector.   HL6653

Lord Polak to ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial assistance they provide to charities and NGOs in Israel.   HL6654

Lord Polak to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the work of Save a Child’s Heart in Holon, Israel, and whether they have any plans to support Save a Child’s Heart in Israel in particular by providing it with financial assistance.   HL6655

Baroness Scott of Needham Market to ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish their response to the consultation on extending the role of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish councils.   HL6656

Lord Scriven to ask Her Majesty’s Government when the report on the review of the retention of custody images will be made public.   HL6657

Lord Turnberg to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 17 February (HL5889), whether they intend to collect data on the payments made to EU immigrants for their children living in their home countries.   HL6658

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the risks posed to the UK by terrorists using drones, and the recent comments by the British Airline Pilots Association and others regarding the risks posed by drones, what consideration they have given to (1) the introduction of a system of mandatory drone registration in the UK, (2) the introduction of mandatory geo-fencing by all drone manufacturers, and (3) the possible banning of private ownership of drones exceeding a certain payload capacity.   HL6659

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they will take to reduce the risk posed by civilian drones to aircraft.   HL6660

Lord West of Spithead to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Cross Government Working Group on Drones has conducted an assessment of the risks posed (1) by terrorists using drones, and (2) by drones to aircraft.   HL6661

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 January (HL5044), which Members of the House were not sent writs of summons and why.   HL6662

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock to ask the Chairman of Committees what is the current number of Members of the House (1) not on leave of absence, and (2) on leave of absence.   HL6663

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock to ask the Chairman of Committees which Members of the House have so far attended no sittings of the House this Session.   HL6664

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide an update on their policy on Islamic finance in the UK.   HL6665

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty’s Government what submissions they have made to the Bank of England’s consultation Establishing Shari’ah compliant central bank liquidity facilities.   HL6666

Lord Greaves to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Parliament will be involved in the scrutiny of any proposals for changes to systems of Islamic finance in the UK following the outcome of the Bank of England’s consultation.   HL6667

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby for new regulation or more government funding would preclude academics at publicly funded universities, or charities in receipt of grants for specific work, from giving evidence to parliamentary select committees drawing on such publicly funded research.   HL6668

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby for new regulation or more government funding would preclude academics at publicly funded universities, or charities in receipt of grants for specific work, from giving talks, writing articles or submitting letters to newspapers seeking to influence policy if such activity draws on such publicly funded research.   HL6669

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby for new regulation or more government funding would preclude Historic England from carrying out its statutory function as an adviser on the historic environment.   HL6670

Baroness Kramer to ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to have balanced the structural deficit excluding capital expenditure.   HL6671

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any (1) minister, (2) official, or (3) ministerial special adviser, have played any part in the drafting of letters subsequently signed by retired military officers or business people and published in national newspapers in the last year. 
   HL6672

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any (1) minister, (2) official, or (3) ministerial special adviser, importuned any persons to sign letters concerning the European Referendum or the consequences of a national vote for leaving the EU in national newspapers; and if so, (a) how many were importuned, (b) how many signed, and (c) how many declined to do so. 
   HL6673

Questions unanswered after 10 working days 

28 January (11 February)

HL5571 Lord Green of Deddington [HO]

HL5572 Lord Green of Deddington [HO]

2 February (16 February)

HL5820 Lord Watson of Invergowrie [DfE]

3 February (17 February)

HL5833 Lord Freyberg [DfE]

HL5834 Lord Freyberg [DfE]

4 February (18 February)

HL5952 Baroness Rebuck [DfE]

10 February (24 February)

HL6123 Lord Wallace of Tankerness [CO]

11 February (25 February)

HL6168 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6169 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6170 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6171 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6172 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6173 Lord Hain [BIS]

HL6201 Lord Storey [DfE]

Number of questions allocated to each department which are unanswered after 10 working days.

[BIS] 6

[CO] 1

[DfE] 5

[HO] 2

Bills in Progress 

	Type of Bill	To be considered
Waiting for Second Reading
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) (Money Bill-2 March)	Government
Chancel Repairs [HL]	Private Member’s	8 March
Gambling (Categorisation and Use of B2 Gaming Machines) [HL]	Private Member’s	11 March
Assisted Dying [HL]	Private Member’s
Conscientious Objection (Medical Activities) [HL]	Private Member’s
European Union Citizens (Electoral Rights) [HL]	Private Member’s
Divorce (Financial Provision) [HL]	Private Member’s
Cohabitation Rights [HL]	Private Member’s
Referendums (Local Authority Governance) [HL]	Private Member’s
European Union (Information, etc.) [HL]	Private Member’s
Medical Innovation [HL]	Private Member’s
Welfare of Cats (Breeding and Sale) [HL]	Private Member’s
Armed Forces Deployment (Royal Prerogative) [HL]	Private Member’s
Automatic Electoral Registration [HL]	Private Member’s
Referendums (Franchise) [HL]	Private Member’s
Right to Die at Home [HL]	Private Member’s
Polling Day (Saturday) [HL]	Private Member’s
Veterinary Nurses (Protection of Title) [HL]	Private Member’s
International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
Welfare of Women (Fertility Treatments) [HL]	Private Member’s
Carers (Leave Entitlement) [HL]	Private Member’s
Duchy of Cornwall [HL]	Private Member’s
Bat Habitats Regulation [HL]	Private Member’s
Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
Student Fees (Qualifying Persons) (England) [HL]	Private Member’s
Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
International Development (Population Dynamics) [HL]	Private Member’s
Regulation of Health and Social Care Professions Etc. [HL]	Private Member’s
Bread and Flour Regulations (Folic Acid) [HL]	Private Member’s
Natural Environment [HL]	Private Member’s
To be heard by the Examiners
New Southgate Cemetery [HL]	Private	8 March at 11.30am
Committed to an Unopposed Bill Committee
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Charity [HL]	Private
Faversham Oyster Fishery Company [HL]	Private
Committed to a Grand Committee
Armed Forces	Government	3 March
Committed to a Committee of the Whole House
Council Tax Valuation Bands [HL]	Private Member’s
Property Boundaries (Resolution of Disputes) [HL] (Queen’s and Prince of Wales’ Consents to be signified)	Private Member’s
Succession to Peerages [HL] (Queen’s Consent to be signified)	Private Member’s
Advertising of Prostitution (Prohibition) [HL]	Private Member’s
Mesothelioma (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
Planning (Subterranean Development) [HL] (Queen’s Consent to be signified)	Private Member’s
Direct Planning (Pilot) [HL]	Private Member’s
Age of Criminal Responsibility [HL]	Private Member’s
Housing and Planning (Welsh and Northern Irish Legislative Consent Motions passed)	Government	3 March
Public Advocate [HL]	Private Member’s
Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
NHS (Charitable Trusts Etc)	Private Member’s
Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information)	Private Member’s	11 March
Riot Compensation	Private Member’s
Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation)	Private Member’s
Waiting for Report
Online Safety [HL]	Private Member’s
Constitutional Convention [HL]	Private Member’s
Immigration	Government	9 March
Trade Union (Welsh Legislative Consent Motion rejected)	Government
Waiting for Third Reading
Airports Act 1986 (Amendment) [HL]	Private Member’s
Scotland (Queen’s Consent to be signified)	Government
Sent to the Commons
Energy [HL]	Government
Enterprise [HL] (Welsh and Scottish Legislative Consent Motions passed, Northern Irish Legislative Consent Motion rejected)	Government
Accessible Sports Grounds [HL]	Private Member’s
Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) [HL]	Private Member’s
Regulation of Political Opinion Polling [HL]	Private Member’s
Bank of England and Financial Services [HL]	Government
Access to Palliative Care [HL]	Private Member’s
Transport for London [HL]	Private
Waiting for Consideration of Commons Reasons
Welfare Reform and Work (Welsh and Scottish Legislative Consent Motions passed)	Government
Waiting for Royal Assent
Charities (Protection and Social Investment) [HL]	Government
Childcare [HL]	Government
Education and Adoption	Government

Measures in Progress 

Waiting for Royal Assent
Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure
Diocesan Stipends Funds (Amendment) Measure

Affirmative Instruments in Progress 

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has drawn attention to certain instruments in the reports indicated

	Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee	To be considered
Waiting for consideration by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
Draft Building Societies (Floating Charges and Other Provisions) Order 2016
Draft Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Regulations 2016
Draft Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Considered in Grand Committee and Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Patents (European Patent with Unitary Effect and Unified Patent Court) Order 2016	24th Report
Employment Allowance (Increase of Maximum Amount) Regulations 2016		8 March
Draft Employment Allowance (Excluded Companies) Regulations 2016		8 March
Draft Electricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Draft Social Security (Contributions) (Limits and Thresholds Amendments and National Insurance Funds Payments) Regulations 2016		8 March
Draft Limited Liability Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2016
Draft Register of People with Significant Control Regulations 2016
Draft Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016		8 March
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Hunting Act 2004 (Exempt Hunting) (Amendment) Order 2015	7th Report
Draft Civil Proceedings, Family Proceedings and Upper Tribunal Fees (Amendment) Order 2016	20th Report
Draft Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2016	23rd Report	7 March
Draft Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Election of Mayor with Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2016	25th Report
Draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Administration) (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Draft Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2016
Draft Child Support (Deduction Orders and Fees) (Amendment and Modification) Regulations 2016
Draft Automatic Enrolment (Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band) Order 2016
Draft Companies (Address of Registered Office) Regulations 2016
Draft Registrar of Companies and Applications for Striking Off (Amendment) Regulations 2016
Draft Renewables Obligation Closure Etc. (Amendment) Order 2016	24th Report
Draft Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016	27th Report
Draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2016
Draft Nuclear Installations (Liability for Damage) Order 2016
Draft Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Consequential Amendments) (Bankruptcy) and the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016
Draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2016
Draft Disabled Persons’ Parking Badges (Scotland) Act 2014 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016

Negative Instruments 

Instruments reported by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

	Praying time expires	To be considered
23rd Report
Onshore Wind Generating Stations (Exemption) (England and Wales) Order 2016	3 March
24th Report
National Health Service (Mandate Requirements) Regulations 2016	16 March
Instrument not reported by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee
Draft Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Meat Chickens and Breeding Chickens (Revocation) (England) Order 2016	19 April

Retirement 

The following member of the House has given notice of her intention to retire.

	Date of retirement
Baroness Knight of Collingtree	24 March

Committees 

Unless otherwise indicated, Committees meet in the Lords’ rooms in the Committee Corridor as indicated in the daily broadsheet. Only the next meeting of each Committee is listed below. Further details of these meetings, and of planned further meetings, may be found in the House of Lords Committees Weekly Bulletin.

Thursday 3 March
European Union	Financial Affairs Sub-Committee	10.15am
European Union	External Affairs Sub-Committee	10.50am
Secondary Legislation Scrutiny	Select Committee	2.30pm
Monday 7 March
Palace of Westminster	Joint Committee	4.00pm
Tuesday 8 March
European Union	Justice Sub-Committee	10.30am
Science and Technology	Select Committee	10.30am
Equality Act 2010	Select Committee	3.15pm
Communications	Select Committee	3.15pm
Sexual Violence in Conflict	Select Committee	3.30pm
Economic Affairs	Select Committee	3.30pm
European Union	Select Committee	4.00pm
Wednesday 9 March
Constitution	Select Committee	10.15am
European Union	Energy and Environment Sub-Committee	10.30am
European Union	Home Affairs Sub-Committee	10.30am
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform	Select Committee	10.30am
Social Mobility	Select Committee	10.30am
Statutory Instruments	Joint Committee	3.45pm
Liaison	Domestic Committee	4.00pm in Committee Room G
Wednesday 16 March
Privileges and Conduct	Sub-Committee on Lords’ Conduct	12 noon in Residence 1
Works of Art	Domestic Committee	4.15pm in Committee Room G
Thursday 17 March
Refreshment	Domestic Committee	12 noon in Committee Room G
Tuesday 22 March
Administration and Works	Domestic Committee	12 noon

Minutes of Proceedings of Wednesday 2 March 2016 

The House met at 3.00pm.

Prayers were read by the Lord Bishop of St Albans.

Select Committee Report

1 Statutory Instruments 
The following Report from the Joint Committee was made and ordered to be printed:

19th Report on certain statutory instruments, including the following affirmative instruments: 
Draft Disabled Persons’ Parking Badges (Scotland) Act 2014 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016
Draft Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Consequential Amendments) (Bankruptcy) and the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016
Draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2016 
Draft Nuclear Installations (Liability for Damage) Order 2016 
Draft Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016 
Draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2016. (HL Paper 109)

Public Business

2 Pharmacies: funding A question was asked by Baroness Walmsley and answered by Lord Prior of Brampton.

3 Railways: Southern, Southeastern and Thameslink franchises A question was asked by Baroness Randerson and answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon.

4 Housing: under-occupancy charge A question was asked by Baroness Sherlock and answered by Lord Freud.

5 Asylum: processing of applications A question was asked by Baroness Hamwee and answered by Lord Bates.

6 State pension age Baroness Altmann repeated as a ministerial statement the answer given to an Urgent Question in the House of Commons.

7 European Union Referendum (Date of Referendum etc.) Regulations 2016 Baroness Anelay of St Johns moved that the draft Regulations laid before the House on 22 February be approved. After debate, the motion was agreed to.

8 European Union: United Kingdom membership The Earl of Courtown, on behalf of Baroness Anelay of St Johns, moved that this House takes note of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy paper The best of both worlds: the United Kingdom’s special status in a reformed European Union presented to Parliament pursuant to section 6 of the European Union Referendum Act 2015. The motion was agreed to.

9 Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill A bill to authorise the use of resources for the years ending with 31 March 2015, 31 March 2016 and 31 March 2017; to authorise the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund for those years; and to appropriate the supply authorised by this Act for the years ending with 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2016, certified by the Speaker as a money bill, was brought from the Commons and read a first time.

10 Welfare Reform and Work Bill The bill was returned from the Commons with reasons. The Commons reasons were ordered to be printed. (HL Bill 101)

The House adjourned at 10.35pm until Thursday 3 March at 11.00am.

David Beamish

Clerk of the Parliaments

Grand Committee Business

The Grand Committee met in the Moses Room at 3.45pm.

Employment Allowance (Increase of Maximum Amount) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Employment Allowance (Increase of Maximum Amount) Regulations 2016. The motion was agreed to.

Employment Allowance (Excluded Companies) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Employment Allowance (Excluded Companies) Regulations 2016. The motion was agreed to.

Social Security (Contributions) (Limits and Thresholds Amendments and National Insurance Funds Payments) Regulations 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Social Security (Contributions) (Limits and Thresholds Amendments and National Insurance Funds Payments) Regulations 2016. The motion was agreed to.

Patents (European Patent with Unitary Effect and Unified Patent Court) Order 2016 Baroness Neville-Rolfe moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Patents (European Patent with Unitary Effect and Unified Patent Court) Order 2016. After debate, the motion was agreed to.

Limited Liability Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2016 Baroness Neville-Rolfe moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Limited Liability Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2016. After debate, the motion was agreed to.

Register of People with Significant Control Regulations 2016 Baroness Neville-Rolfe moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Register of People with Significant Control Regulations 2016. The motion was agreed to.

Electricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2016 Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Electricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2016. After debate, the motion was agreed to.

Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016 Lord Ashton of Hyde moved that the Grand Committee do consider the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016. The motion was agreed to.

The Committee adjourned at 5.59pm.

Papers 

All statutory instruments laid before the House are accompanied by an Explanatory Memorandum presented by command of Her Majesty, unless otherwise indicated.

Negative Instruments

The following instruments were laid before the House:

1 Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, laid under the Welfare Reform Act 2012.   (232)

2 Social Security (Scottish Rate of Income Tax etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, laid under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.   (233)

3 Pensions Act 2014 (Contributions Equivalent Premium) (Consequential Provision) and (Savings) (Amendment) Order 2016, laid under the Pensions Act 2014.   (252)

Paper not subject to Parliamentary Proceedings

The following paper was laid before the House:

Report of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Alternatives to membership: possible models for the United Kingdom outside the European Union, laid under the European Union Referendum Act 2015.