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Labour peer Baroness Lister of Burtersett asks what assessment has been made of the statement by the UN Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights following his visit to the United Kingdom.

Last month, UN Rapporteur Philip Alston suggested the government were in a "state of denial" about poverty in the UK, with levels of child poverty are "staggering".

Work and Pensions Minister Baroness Buscombe says the government disagreed with the conclusions of the report, but note that it welcomes the simplification of the benefits system, along with the Budget announcements to help tackle in-work poverty.

Baroness Lister says the report held up a "shaming mirror" to the government's benefit reforms, but their response proves that they are in a "state of denial". She asks why ministers are "hiding behind cherry picked statistics", rather than address the issues.

Baroness Buscombe says the government is listening.

She suggests the UN Rapporteur has made statements about the benefits system that are "just plain wrong", which "undermines the credibility" of the report.

House of Commons
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Tory MP Andrew Bridgen asks what steps the department is taking to raise standards in secondary schools.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds says the number of good to outstanding schools has increased from 64% to 75% between 2010 and 2018.

Education Committee member and Labour MP Lucy Powell says evidence has shown that many believe "the curriculum is taking us in the wrong direction" and is "simply a regurgitation of knowledge".

Mr Hinds says he disagrees with this opinion and that secondary school education is adequately preparing young people for later life.

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Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston asks Damian Hinds what steps the department is taking to improve social mobility.

The education secretary says "social mobility is a top priority for the government" but admits that rural areas "can face unique barriers".

Labour MP Stephen Twigg suggests the government needs to encourage more children receiving a state school education to apply for Oxford and Cambridge university places, and SNP MP Carol Monaghan calls for a scrap on tuition fees in the UK "which is working to improve social mobility in Scotland".

Mr Hinds says he wants to see a variety of students applying for all university places and that there is "a record number of young people going to university".

Shadow education minister Tracy Brabin says the government have pledged £2m more for research surrounding social mobility "but there is no concrete plan of action". She asks how much of the £2m will be allocated to early years "the most important time for social mobility."

Mr Hinds says he is "committed to moving faster and going further" to improve social mobility.

House of Lords
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Over in the Lords, the day begins with a question from Lord Ahmed. He asks about government assessments of the situation of Rohingya refugees and the likelihood of their safe return to Burma.

Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon says the UK has provided £129m in funding since August 2017 and welcome Bangladesh's continued hosting of Rohingya refugees.

The government agree with those that suggest however that conditions are not yet safe for Rohingya to return to Burma, he says, despite agreements being reached for this between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

"They should not return until we can ensure their safety and security, and above all that they are voluntary."

You can read more of BBC coverage of the Rohingya crisis here.

House of Commons
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Conservative MP Lucy Allan kicks off today's questions, asking what recent estimate the department has made of the number of children in the care system.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds says in March 2018 there were 75,000 looked after children, "which is 4% up on the last year".

Mr Hinds says "children should only be taken from their parents as a last resort" and that the appointment of a children's commissioner is "the right approach to ensure good progress".

Shadow education minister Emma Lewell-Buck questions the progress that is being made in the care system by the government and asks how many children's residential homes has he visited.

Mr Hinds says he is "confident" that progress is being made.

House of Commons
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The week in Parliament gets under way with education questions to Education Secretary Damian Hinds and his ministerial team.

House of Lords
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There's an interesting day ahead in the Lords, with oral questions kicking things off from 2.30pm.

Topics include the situation of Rohingya refugees, the UN Rapporteur statement on extreme poverty and human rights, UK involvement with blockades on the Israeli-Palestinian borders, and the publication of the Immigration White Paper.

After that, peers will debate the further report from the Privileges and Conduct Select Committee on the conduct of Lord Lester of Herne Hill, before the second day of considering the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill at report stage.

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The last week of term before recess begins with questions to department of education ministers at 2.30pm, before Theresa May delivers a statement on December's European Council at 3.30pm.

Following this, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark will make a statement on the government's Good Work Plan which implements the Taylor review of modern working practices.

Under the plan, workers on zero-hour contracts or "gig economy" workers are to be better protected by workplace reforms which include staff having to be told details of their rights to holiday and sick leave from their first day in a job, and having the right to request more predictable hours.

The reforms are based on the findings of a review into modern working practices led by Matthew Taylor, a former aide to Tony Blair and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts.

After the two ministerial statements, SNP's Westminster Leader Ian Blackford will make the case for an emergency debate on the EU Council.

After this, MPs will debate a series of motions to approve regulations on online pornography, including on age verification and pornography delivered via social media.

Labour MP Ruth Smeeth will conclude the day with her adjournment debate on the criminal justice system and the death of Kayden Dunn, a seven year old who was killed in a road accident in Stoke-on-Trent in 2017.

Welcome to our coverage of the last week of Parliament before MPs and peers rise on Thursday for the Christmas recess.

We'll be covering events in the Commons today, as the prime minister makes a statement on recent negotiations in Brussels over the UK's departure from the EU.

The Commons and Lords gets going at 2.30pm. Thanks for joining us.