House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative Kevin Foster suggests that it is correct that mayoral combined authorities are allowed to use the new franchising powers, whilst local authorities will have to apply for the power. 

He says that it is to do with "bulk", in that mayoral combined authorities deal with vastly larger areas and through a elected mayor have a greater source of authority. 

He says that they are good powers, but acknowledges in Torbay his local authority would be overwhelmed if they tried to run their own bus system. 

House of Lords
Parliament

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Next to speak is Conservative peer and former Foreign Office Minister Viscount Hailsham, who begins by welcoming the government's sensitive and pragmatic approach.

However he says he is "extremely uncomfortable" with the current situation and that he plans to support the amendment. 

Retrospective measures should be avoided, he argues, and suggests that this issue may end up in the courts.

He urges peers to remember "how shocked we were" when Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Lilian Greenwood has praised buses in her city and says that the bill could help make them greater still. 

She criticises the old system saying too often the "market does not provide comprehensive networks" and have led to steeper price increases than in London in the past 20 years, which was exempted from deregulation in the 1980s.

She says Nottingham has the highest bus use per person in the country because of the city's attention to the issue. 

Bus routes, real-time bus schedules, easy travel guides and bus passes have all led to Nottingham "having the best buses in the country".

She hopes that greater "partnership" powers given by the bill or, if necessary, the franchising powers will end the problem of multi-fares in the city, and allow for a single travel price across bus companies for the city. 

Select Committee
Parliament

Nicole Sapstead says UK Anti-Doping needs greater resources to carry out investigations of the type required by the allegations around Team Sky and British Cycling.

"We have incredibly good relationships with law enforcement," she says, although UK Anti-Doping have no powers to compel people to provide information.

She says she'd like to see the World Anti-Doping Code change, so that individuals would be "obligated" to co-operate with doping investigations.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Image source, HoL

It's not that peers are trying to block Brexit. They have been adamant, time and again, that's not their game.

But tomorrow they are voting on a change they are trying to make to the government's Article 50 law (the legal process that will start Brexit), by pushing the government to give guarantees about the future of the three million or so people from other countries in the EU who live here.

Time and again Theresa May has said that she wants them to have "reciprocal rights" - to be allowed to stay and live as they wish - as long as Brits abroad get the same entitlements.

And time and again, she has said she wants to settle the issue early in the Brexit negotiations, and is hopeful of doing so.

Read more here.

Select Committee
Parliament

Ms Sapstead says there are "zero records" by Dr Freeman for the 2011 Dauphine race, while other doctors had been keeping records at the time.

She says there has been "no excuse" from British Cycling over the lack of records, while Team Sky were simply "not adhering" to their own policy on record keeping.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Labour's Brexit spokeswoman Baroness Hayter opens the debate by talking to Labour amendment 9B which has cross party support.

She tells peers that the amendment would ensure that the rights of EU citizens will stay the same "on exit day".

She says she speaks on behalf of the three million EU nationals "who feel they are being used as bargaining chips".

This is not a matter of negotiation with EU she says, "this is a matter for the UK".

You can't do negotiations with people's futures, she concludes.

Select Committee
Parliament

Nicole Sapstead confirms that UK Anti-Doping has interviewed Sir Bradley Wiggins about the allegations.

She says Sir Bradley has confirmed that he was treated with Fluimicil during the 2011 race, but that he does not know what was in the package that Simon Cope couriered from the UK.

In response to questions from Conservative Nigel Huddleston, she confirms that Fluimicil was readily available in Switzerland, and it should not have been necessary to transport it from the UK.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Jeff Smith welcomes the Bus Services Bill, in particular the franchising rules. 

He says that passengers have had to pay premiums across different bus companies operating in Manchester and competing companies on busy routes have led to congestion. 

In some cases, it has led to bus companies abandoning less busy routes putting communities at risk. 

Other Manchester MPs, including Conservative Chris Green and Labour's Andy Burnham, have taken particular interest in the debate. 

As a combined authority and the UK's second largest metropolitan area, the Bus Services Bill will allow, as MPs have suggested, for a more integrated transport system similar to the one in London.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Oral questions comes to an end and peers turn their attention to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.

The bill is currently at committee stage which means members can table, debate and vote on amendments.

Amendments are grouped by subject and the topics for today include topics of negotiation, the role of the devolved administrations and the future of Euratom.

First, however, peers begin with a group of amendments seeking to guarantee the residence rights of EU nationals living in the UK – a subject on which the government may be defeated.

House of Lords
Parliament

Communities Minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth replies that the majority of businesses will pay less and that the government will provide "generous relief" for small businesses.

Labour spokesman Lord Kennedy tells peers that one business in South London will see their business rates increase by 50% which amounts to £66,000 per year.

Lord Bourne acknowledges that some businesses, particularly in London, have been hard hit.

He says the communities secretary is working with the Chancellor on this and adds that an announcement in the budget can be expected.

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Ian Lucas returns to the issue of Dr Freeman's stolen laptop.

Nicole Sapstead says UK Anti-Doping has seen a written record held by Team Sky reporting the theft of Dr Freeman's laptop in 2014, but she doesn't know precisely when the theft was reported.

Mr Lucas goes on to ask about the 'dual roles' of individuals like Dr Freeman in working for both British Cycling and Team Sky.

"I think there is a huge conflict of interest" in the context of anti-doping, says Ms Sapstead of the people working for both organisations.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Labour's spokesman Lord Kennedy of Southwark asks how the government will respond to concerns over increases in business rates.

Business rates are the commercial version of council tax, and are paid on the rental value of the space occupied.

Business rates are being updated for the first time since 2010.

The government has said it will establish a £3.6bn transitional fund to help those businesses facing big jumps in rates.

On average all areas are seeing their rates fall except London where bills will rise by an average of 11% this year.

Select Committee
Parliament

Damian Collins goes on to ask about the use of Triamcinolone in cycling.

This is the drug that Sir Bradley Wiggins was revealed to have used to treat respiratory problems and allergies.  He had received official Theraputic Use Exemptions (TUEs) to use the drug whilst racing.

Ms Sapstead confirms Triamcinolone is a "serious" drug that is normally banned for use in competition, although athletes may use it while not competing.

She says it is hard to ascertain whether an unusually large amount of the drug was being used by Team Sky or British Cycling.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Conservative Lord Hayward asks what progress has been made in tackling the abuse of personal injury claims relating to incidents involving motor vehicles.

Whiplash claims have risen by 50% over the past decade costing insurance companies about £1bn a year.

Government spokesman Lord Keen of Elie tells peers that measures to address such abuses are being taken forward in the Prisons and Courts Bill introduced last week.

Measures include introducing a fixed tariff for whiplash compensation and a prohibition on settling such claims without medical evidence.

Select Committee
Parliament

Ms Sapstead says UK Anti-Doping has met some resistance in accessing the existing medical records for the race in 2011, due to issues of medical confidentiality.

She says they are looking specifically at the records for the race in question and not at other records in order to preserve confidentiality as far as possible. 

She says Dr Freeman, Team Sky's doctor, only kept incomplete records and also had a laptop stolen in 2014, meaning some records are lost.

"There is no audit trail covering a comprehensive supply of products," says Ms Sapstead.

Damian Collins points out that this would represent a breach of the law around the supply of medicines.

House of Lords
Parliament

Green Party peer Baroness Jones of Moulescoomb now asks if the government will introduce a ban on wild animals in circuses.

The Conservative manifesto in 2015 pledged to ban wild animals in circuses. A draft bill was published in 2013 but has not yet become law. 

Environment Minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble replies that the government will introduce a bill when there is parliamentary time available.

In the meantime, he says the government has introduced a licensing scheme to protect wild animals.

Conservative Lord Borwick expresses concern that such a ban would obstruct the Chancellor's ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat during next week's budget. 

House of Lords
Parliament

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The Lib Dem's Lord Paddick notes that the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, was born in the US.

He continues that, although Marina [Boris Johnson's wife] may disagree, he is a head of household born outside of the UK.

Migrants contribute far more than they take out, he concludes "and they should be welcomed and allowed to stay".

The minister Lord Bourne notes that, due to his birth, Boris Johnson is eligible to stand to become President of the United States.

"An interesting scenario."

Mr Johnson has, in fact, renounced his US citizenship, external .

Lord Bourne adds that he agrees with the sentiments on immigration and says that "in any scenario" migrants will be welcomed to the UK.