House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Gareth Snell is sworn in as the new MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, replacing Tristram Hunt, who resigned earlier this year.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Lord Davies of Stamford argues that there is "common ground" even among those who voted to leave the EU that Brexit will mean "serious economic costs".

Retaining membership of the EEA, he says, would mitigate these economic costs.

He accuses the government of irrationally "breaking the golden rule of negotiation" by ruling out membership so early on. 

No normal person gives up an option unless they have to, he says.

House of Lords
Parliament

The BBC's Parliamentary Correspondent Mark D'arcy sets out what to expect during the debate: 

Two days of committee stage debate are scheduled, with more opportunities to press amendments at the ensuing report stage. And there are plenty of amendments down. The question is whether any of them will attract a critical mass of peers, capable of voting through an amendment.

I expect quite a lot of merging of the existing amendments so that they're reconfigured to maximise the coalitions that can be assembled behind them.

There seems to be some head of steam behind three broad causes: the "meaningful vote" by Parliament already promised by the government - where a lot of peers seem to want that assurance from the Brexit Minister David Jones to be written into the bill; the status of EU nationals resident in Britain, where the key player may well be the Crossbench peer and ex-mandarin Bob Kerslake and where a Tory peer, Lord Bowness, has signed up to a Labour amendment; and, perhaps, the Single Market, where there is some pressure to write in a requirement to maintain UK membership in some way.

There are also amendments down about UK membership of organisations like EURATOM, the atomic energy body, and on issues like the border with Ireland, where the former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain is active.

To get passed, any amendment requires a cross-party coalition embracing Labour, Lib Dems, Tory rebels and crossbenchers, and not all of these causes will attract such an alliance.

Watch out for ministerial assurances to meet particular concerns and defuse possible uprisings. But if any amendment is passed, the next key question is the size of the majority; because once amended, the bill would have to go back to the Commons, so that MPs could accept, or more likely reject, the changes.

Peers are more likely to keep pressing an issue if they have passed an amendment with a thumping majority, and more likely to back down if it only squeaked through - so a substantial majority would suggest a couple of rounds of the bill ping-ponging between Lords and Commons and put more pressure on the government to offer some concession, maybe even a compromise amendment of their own, at report stage, next week.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow local government and communities secretary Gareth Thomas says that the government "ignores the crisis in adult social care" and accuses Sajid Javid of a "lack of urgency".

Mr Javid replies that they have adapted quickly to changing circumstances, but insists that it is "not all about money, but also about reform".  

House of Lords
Parliament

Oral questions concludes and peers now begin the first of two days debating the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill at committee stage.

The first amendment to be debated comes from Labour's Lord Lea of Crondall and Lord Davies of Stamford.

This amendment would require the UK to retain membership of the European Economic Area (EEA).

The EEA is an open internal market between the EU and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Membership allows these countries near-full access to the single market in return for accepting EU legislation and freedom of movement.

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbencher Baroness Afshar asks how the government is securing the rights of Iranian-born British citizens visiting the US.

Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay of St Johns replies that the government has worked to ensure that changes to US immigration policy do not effect British citizens regardless of their place of birth.

Labour's Lord Collins of Highbury asks if, when the US President issues another executive order on immigration rules, the government will be prepared with proper advice immediately "unlike the last time".

Baroness Anelay explains that the difficult in providing advice was the result of "confusion in the US system" and "the changing nature of travel advice online".

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Rachael Maskell aks how small and medium businesses in the Northern Powerhouse will deal with new business rates.

Communities and Local Government Minister Andrew Percy says that in general, business rates will go down in the north, and the government will "further support" any businesses overwhelmed by increased business rates. 

Labour's Meg Hillier asks what can be done to help business owners in London, where, in general, business rates are increasing more sharply. 

Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid promises "transitional relief" worth £3.6bn for business owners facing high rates and says that business rate relief will be extended to include 600,000 companies, who will pay "zero" in business rates. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour’s Lord West of Spithead asks if the government intends to develop an overall defence industrial strategy.

He urges the government to look "very closely" at the cost of defence equipment before deciding to buy abroad.

He says that the benefits of buying from British companies should be taken into account, such as boosting employment in the UK.

Defence Minister Earl Howe replies that the government's industrial strategy is looking at ways of making it easier for British companies to work with the government. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbencher Baroness Kidron suggests that there has been "a fetishisation of science" in education.

She quotes Brain Cox: "Physics has taught us that the world has a beginning and an end but the arts teaches us how to live in the vast expanse in between."

Lord Nash welcomes the uptake of Stem subjects at A-level but adds that there is "plenty of room" in the curriculum for arts subjects.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, PA

Crossbencher Earl of Clancarty asks what the effect has been of proposed levels of funding on the quality of education.

The government has introduced a new funding formula for schools to replace the previous system which has been described as "unfair and outdated".

Education Minister Lord Nash replies that the government has protected the core schools budget adding that in 2017/18 schools will have more funding for education "than ever before". 

The Earl of Clancarty worries that cuts "and they are cuts" mean that subjects such as music, art, drama and design and technology will be dropped.

Lord Nash replies that there is "plenty of money in the system".

House of Lords
Parliament

Responding to a question on improving employee relations, Lord Prior says the private sector is "much better" at industrial relations than the public sector. 

We are not good employers, he says, adding that he was "staggered" that junior doctors were forced into taking strike action. 

Labour's Lord Foulkes of Cumnock asks how employee relations in the Houses of Parliament can be improved.

Lord Prior notes that Google has introduced table tennis tables in their offices and wonders, looking at the Lord Speaker, if similar facilities could be provided in the House of Lords.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow housing secretary John Healey criticises "Conservaitve failure on housing" and asks how many new homes will be built as a result of the white paper, external . 

Mr Javid says that under Labour, new housing dropped to lowest levels since the 1920s.

He cites endorsements of the white paper from the National Housing Federation, the Royal Town and Planning Institute and the Mayor of London, Labour's own Sadiq Khan. 

Senior Tory Lord Heseltine says he will rebel against ministers when peers debate the Brexit bill.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, PA

Labour’s Baroness Prosser asks how the government will ensure that managers and employees are fully engaged and able to deliver the industrial strategy.

The industrial strategy, published earlier this year , sets out how the government can provide support to business.

Baroness Prosser notes that there is "a well established link" between employee engagement and productivity and calls for employees to be given a voice on company boards.

Business Minister Lord Prior of Brampton replies that "just having someone on the board" is not necessarily the right way of improving engagement.

Employee engagement is predominately the responsibility of individual companies, he adds. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Questions to the Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid begin with questions on homelessness.

Labour's Paula Sheriff says that rough sleeping has more than doubled under the Conservative government. 

Mr Javid disputes the figures, and says that cross-party initiatives as well as the £20m rough sleeping fund and £550m homelessness spending will help reduce the problem. 

He says "one person sleeping on the streets is one too many, but too often support is offered at crisis point," he says, adding that the Conservatives will offer long-term solutions.