Summary

  • Day in Commons starts with culture questions

  • Urgent question on hormone pregnancy tests

  • Business statement follows

  • Commons leader statement on sexual harassment

  • Main business backbench debates, including one on universal credit

  • House of Lords began questions at 11am

  • Several debates in the Lords this afternoon, including one on universal credit

  1. Peer tells of 'inappropriate behaviour' in the Lordspublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    As peers discuss the grievance procedure raised earlier in the Commons, Lib Dem Baroness Hamwee says when stories of abuse of power emerged she felt "guilty" because she asked herself "why wasn't I providing support?"

    She says: "It took a week to remember many years ago I was subject to a minor act of inappropriate behaviour in the House.

    "I realised I hadn't put it out of my consciousness because it was trivial, but because I was so shocked I buried it. That's what our minds do.

    "We need to recognise the way people act when they've been subject to something so shocking is not what we might expect."

  2. Commons adjournspublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    That's it from the Commons for this week. Thanks for joining us.

    MPs return on Monday from 2:30pm, beginning with Home Office questions.

    Tuesday will see further scrutiny of the EU WIthdrawal Bill, before Chancellor Philip Hammond makes his Budget statement to MPs on Wednesday.

  3. End of Lords coveragepublished at 17:44 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    That's where we leave our Lords coverage for today. Peers return at 2.30pm on Monday for questions to ministers, followed by continuation of committee-stage debate on the Data Protection Bill.

  4. UC critic calls on government to change stancepublished at 17:32 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

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  5. MP urges end to child maintenance charges for abuse victimspublished at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs approve motions to appoint members of the Intelligence and Security Committee, external and the Public Accounts Commission, external.

    Finally in the Commons today, SNP MP Angela Crawley leads a short debate on the Child Maintenance Service.

    She is calling for an end to charges on child maintenance payments for victims of domestic abuse.

  6. MPs raise 'Russian interference'published at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Committee motions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The House is now considering a motion to appoint MPs to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC).

    Labour MP Ben Bradshaw says he hopes the committee will investigate "Russian interference in the UK" and also "dark money and the use of think tanks" in political campaigns.

    His Labour colleague Liam Byrne says there is "a rapidly emerging 21st Century propaganda operation", which includes "fabricating division and discord" through social media.

    Deputy leader of the House Michael Ellis echoes the words of his colleague Andrea Leadsom earlier, saying the government has not seen evidence of successful interference in an election or referendum.

  7. Minister highlights drive for new policies on older people's carepublished at 17:17 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Older people's human rights debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Health Minister Lord O'Shaughnessy winds up this debate for the government, describing meeting the needs of an ageing population as "one of our most profound challenges".

    He says it's a challenge the government recognises and is committed to tackling, before reminding peers of the Green Paper on social reform which the government has been announced will be published by summer next year.

    The paper will look at social care, wider networks of support and housing, he specifies, and an inter-ministerial working group has been set up to look at policy implications.

  8. Tribute to a colleague...published at 17:14 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

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  9. MP apologises for 'allowing my irritation to get the better of me'published at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Alex Burghart

    Before the next debate, Conservative MP Alex Burghart rises to make an "unreserved apology" for his behaviour earlier, during a heated debate on universal credit.

    "I allowed my irritation to get the better of me and I approached the opposition front bench," he says.

  10. Minister hopes industry will 'fly further, faster and higher'published at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Defence aerospace industrial strategy debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin says the speeches by MPs in this debate show there is "not a corner of our great country that is untouched" by the defence aerospace industry.

    She says the UK is exporting to Bahrain, Belgium and Qatar and is developing further export markets.

    Perhaps unable to resist a pun, Ms Baldwin says she hopes the industry will "fly further, faster and higher in the future"

    Ruth Smeeth, closing the debate, says she didn't hear a commitment to produce a defence aerospace industrial strategy and hopes that the minister will return to House in future to make such an announcement.

  11. May to talk Brexit with EU's Tuskpublished at 17:09 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    The prime minister is hoping the EU will agree to start talking about a trade deal.

    Read More
  12. Next Brexit move?published at 17:09 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

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  13. Labour spokesman accuses government of 'short-termism'published at 16:58 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Defence aerospace industrial strategy debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The Red ArrowsImage source, EJ VAN KONINGSVELD
    Image caption,

    The Red Arrows are known worldwide for their displays of precision aerobatics

    Shadow defence minister Wayne David asks what the government is doing to promote the Hawk training aircraft abroad - "the aircraft of the iconic Red Arrows".

    He says the UK is buying too many products "off the shelf" from the US and accuses the government of "short-termism".

  14. SNP MP raises Russian submarine incursionspublished at 16:58 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Defence aerospace industrial strategy debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Carol Monaghan

    SNP armed forces spokeswoman Carol Monaghan says a defence aerospace industrial strategy debate must not just be about procurement but also about "a skilled workforce for the future".

    She refers to warnings of "an extraordinary increase" in incursions by Russian submarines into Scottish waters - and says that, at present, the UK is not always able to track them.

  15. MP cautions against being reliant on 'expertise from abroad'published at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Defence aerospace industrial strategy debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The call for a defence aerospace industrial strategy gains support on both sides of the House.

    Conservative Jack Lopresti says "we must not be forced to rely entirely on expertise from abroad".

    Labour's Vernon Coaker says the debate is taking place in a time of "a great deal of uncertainty around the whole of equipment budget" in UK defence spending.

    He thinks the aerospace industry "is particularly vulnerable to this".

  16. Who will blink first?published at 16:09 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    The signals are that the UK has to promise more cash for the EU to agree to begin trade talks.

    Read More
  17. Back in time...published at 16:09 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

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  18. MP: We need military aircraft strategypublished at 16:08 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Defence aerospace industrial strategy debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    An RAF Typhoon aircraftImage source, PA
    Image caption,

    An RAF Typhoon aircraft

    The next backbench debate concerns a defence aerospace industrial strategy.

    The government has not produced a standalone strategy but Labour MP Ruth Smeeth, opening the debate, says one is needed.

    The defence aerospace industry boosts the UK economy and has been key to "maintaining our country's aerial supremacy for generations", she argues.

    The UK has produced the Harrier, the Tornado and the Typhoon and is "a global leader in the manufacture of combat aircraft", Ms Smeeth adds.

  19. Call for older people's human rights charterpublished at 16:07 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Older people's human rights debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    FoulkesImage source, HoL

    Labour's Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, who is chair of Age Scotland, opens his debate on older people's human rights.

    He says even though these rights have been recognised by international bodies including the UN, "little or nothing is done about it".

    He highlights the need for older people to have an adequate income, high-quality housing and domicilary care.

    He says most care is still carried out by family members, and there must be more care home provision with properly trained staff.

    He also calls for a charter of rights for older people.

  20. MPs back call to cut payment waiting timepublished at 15:45 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2017

    Universal credit debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Frank Field, who opened the debate, closes it by saying that everyone in the House "has called on the government to move".

    After MPs agree the motion without a vote, Mr Field observes that this motion says the government should "reduce the standard initial wait for a first Universal Credit payment to one month".

    He urges ministers to respond.