House of Lords
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Baroness Smith notes that anonymous government sources have threatened to fill the House of Lords with Conservative peers in order to pass the bill. 

We will not be threatened into failing to fulfill our constitutional role, she says.

She continues: "If we ask MPs to look again at an issue it is not a constitutional outrage but a constitutional responsibility."

She tells peers that the opposition "will not block the legislation" but will not give the government "a blank cheque".

Peers will, she says, seek improvements, make reasonable changes and "possibly" may ask MPs to reconsider specific issues. 

House of Lords
Parliament

It is pleasing to see such a full house, begins Labour's Baroness Smith of Basildon.

She says that the referendum offered a straightforward, direct question producing a result clearly in favour of leaving the EU.

The simplicity ended there, she says, and she blames a lack of government planning for creating uncertainty. 

For example, she argues that no thought has been given to the citizens in Gibraltar or implications of Northern Ireland process. 

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

The Article 50 Bill hits the House of Lords for a two day debate, with all the trimmings.

It's got diplomats, generals, bishops, former foreign secretaries, savants, super-lawyers, mandarins, ex-chancellors, immigration campaigners, authors, business folk, and even ex-policemen.

I can predict with confidence that, by tea-time on Monday, everything will have been said, although in the best House of Lords tradition, not everyone will have (yet) said it.

It seems unlikely that the debate will even end in a recorded vote.

The House of Lords normally gives an unopposed second reading to government legislation, so it would be a breach of tradition (which is a very big deal on the Red Benches) to force a division - and the only motive would be to record the individual votes, because a thumping majority for the bill would be the certain result.

Incidentally, with 191 peers down to speak at the moment, the total tops the previous record of 182 who joined the list to speak on the 1999 House of Lords Bill (Hat-tip to Matthew Purvis, Head of Research at the Lords Library).

So what is to be learned from the debate? 

Watch the crossbenchers. The crossbench or independent peers are not a party - they have no agreed policies, still less a whip, and their main rule is that their members must carry no taint of party allegiance, which means no local membership, and no financial donations.

It follows that there is no crossbench line on Brexit, but the crossbenchers could well provide the swing vote on the key amendments to be debated at the bill's committee stage, a week after Second Reading.

So any indication that they are breaking in a particular direction will be significant. One key figure may be the super-lawyer, Lord Pannick, who led the legal team which forced the Government to introduce this Bill in the first place.

In debates on legal issues, in particular, he has been able to persuade the Lords' legion of retired judges and senior QCs to back his initiatives, and his name appears on an amendment from Labour's shadow Brexit spokesperson, Baroness Hayter, requiring prior Parliamentary approval for agreements with the European Union, which bears a considerable resemblance to the "Meaningful Vote" proposed by Labour in the Commons.

The "Meaningful Vote" looks likely to provide the toughest test for the government whips, although the issue of the status of EU citizens resident in the UK will also be raised - and here the support for the amendment from the Joint Committee on Human Rights could be important.

So the two days next week will provide an opportunity for sensitive antennae to gauge the mood in the Chamber - will peers feel they have no right to meddle with a bill which gives expression to the referendum verdict?

Will those who're tempted to tamper be frightened off by menacing rumblings about abolishing them? Will they dismiss the warnings - or will some decide that if there is any cause worth risking their status for, the EU is it?

House of Lords
Parliament

Noble Lords respect the primacy of the House of Commons and the decision of the British people in the referendum, says Leader of the House Baroness Evans of Bowes.

She notes that the bill was passed unamended with an "overwhelming majority" and argues that the bill has a strong mandate from both MPs and the public.

"We should not overlook that," she says

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Louise Haigh calls for the government to release more information on the impact jobcentre closures will have on ESA and other benefit claimants, many of whom have to travel to the centres regularly.

Work and Pensions Minister Damian Hinds says that consultations will ensure that proximity to a jobcentre will be taken into account when discussing future closures. 

House of Lords
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Oral questions concludes and peers now begin the debate on the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill at second reading.

Second reading gives peers a chance to debate the general principles of the bill.

It is rare for the House of Lords to vote on a bill at second reading and the three main parties in the Lords have said that they do not plan to vote against it.

Next week the bill will move on to its committee stage giving peers a chance to table, debate and potentially vote on any amendments.

The BBC’s Parliamentary Correspondent Mark D’Arcy has written a blog on the week in Parliament including what to look out for in this debate.

House of Commons
Parliament

And there's another group of questions on the assessment process for those seeking Personal Indepdence Payments and Employment and Support Allowance. 

The majority of claimants who go to tribunal over the continuance of their benefits win, claims the Labour frontbench, stating that this is evidence the "system is broken" and unnecessarily stressful.

Work and Pensions Minister Penny Mourdaunt says the government is committed to reducing these "administrative burdens" for claimants. 

House of Lords
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Conservative peer Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist has the last question, which she uses to asks how the government can encourage more people to train as lay magistrates.

Last year a report by MPs expressed concern that volunteer numbers were falling and that the majority of magistrates in England and Wales were "old and white".

Currently, 86% of judges are aged 50 and over and 89% are white.

Government spokesman Lord Keen of Elie replies that the government is supporting efforts to make the application process ore accessible. He adds that there is no shortage in applicants for the vacancies that do arise. 

House of Lords
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Image source, BBc

Labour's education spokesmen Lord Watson of Invergowrie says the problem of providing counselling for students is hindered by the government's "savage cuts".

He notes that the Conservative manifesto in 2015 promised to protect school funding - "it is not", he says. 

Education Minister Lord Nash replies that under the new fairer funding formula schools "should be able to manage".

House of Commons
Parliament

Minister Penny Mordaunt says that schemes will be put forward to help those with learning difficulties, and ensure they are supported into work. 

She says she wants to update the Apprenticeship Scheme to ensure that they are more open for young people and admits that more has to be done, including financial support. 

Labour's Kerry McCarthy says that financial strains are preventing young people with disabilities from accessing the schemes currently in place. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Lib Dem Lord Oates asks how many secondary schools in England do not currently provide in-school counselling services for their students.

Around one in 10 children in England aged five to 16 suffer from a "diagnosable" mental health problems. 

Education Minister Lord Nash replies that the government will be undertaking a large scale study on how schools are supporting the wellbeing of students including through counselling.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative Michael Tomlinson asks about recent trends in the number of young people in work. 

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green notes that the number of young people in work has increased by 235,000 since 2010 and that youth unemployment is at its lowest since 2005. 

However, Labour's Chi Onwurah claims that this is not being evenly spread. The North East has the highest unemployment rates in the country, she says and asks if the Northern powerhouse is a reality for the North East. 

The secretary of state replies that 86% of 16 to 25-year-olds are in work or full-time education in the North East, and that unemployment rates have decreased in recent years. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Government spokesmen Lord Keen of Elie tells peers that a new Ministry of Justice unit has been established to work with the Parole Board to deal with outstanding cases.

Lord Brown describes his response as "disappointing" and argues that "simple justice" demands the "immediate release" of those prisoners who have served beyond their sentence of tariff.

Lord Keen says that the rate of release is increasing and that the number of IPP prisoners is at an "all time low".

However he adds that the government has "a duty of care" towards the public who he says could become the victims of such prisoners if they were released.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke calls for greater support of voluntary organisations who help those with mental health conditions get back into work.

Work and Pensions Minister Penny Mordaunt says that measures such as reducing business rates for companies who have schemes in place to help those with mental health issues are being looked at. 

She also says that "arbitrary measures" will not work and must be localised according to requirements. 

However, Labour's Ian Lucas claims that currently the "system isn't working" for those with disabilities, with the assessment process putting undue pressure on applicants seeking Personal Independence Payments.

House of Lords
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Crossbench peer and former Supreme Court judge Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood now asks if "Imprisonment for Public Protection" (IPP) prisoners, who have been jailed for longer than the tariff for their offence will be released.

IPP sentences were introduced in 2005 and prevent a prisoner from being released unless a Parole Board believes they can be safely released into the community. 

Such sentences were abolished in 2012, when it emerged that they were begin handed out more frequently than intended. 

Former justice secretary Michael Gove has called for 500 IPP prisoners to be released. 

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP's Martyn Day asks what assessment the secretary of state has made of the effect of the benefit cap on households in Scotland.  

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green says that "work is the best way out of poverty". 

He says the households that do receive a cap are 41% more likely to go into work than similar households without one. 

House of Lords
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The day starts with a question from Lib Dem Baroness Tyler of Enfield, who asks for a government response to a recent report on social mobility.

The report The Class Ceiling: Increasing access to theleading professions, external called for unpaid internships to be banned and for companies to make their recruitment efforts less “London-centric”.

Education Minister Lord Nash tells peers that all too often family background determines success in later life.

He calls on employers to do more to "draw out the talents" from people of all background.