House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asks what timetable the government has planned for all Brexit legislation required by 29 March.

Brexit Minister Lord Callanan says that the government has "already put in place" many of the "building blocks" required in legislation for the UK to leave the EU.

Baroness McIntosh asks for an assurance that bills "will be given full and proper scrutiny" in the Houses of Parliament.

Lord Callanan says he can give an assurance that legislation will receive "full and proper scrutiny".

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow work and pensions secretary Margaret Greenwood says the government is "finally waking up" to the "devastating impact" of universal credit, and asks for further clarification on the changes.

Amber Rudds says the government has already said there would be a 10,000 person migration pilot this summer, with 1.4 million people already on the system and 1.6 million to come onto the system in the next six months.

Making sure the government gets migration onto the new system right is essential, she says, and it will be coming forward in 2020.

Ms Greenwood says universal credit is being used as a "vehicle for cuts to social security" and urges ministers to stop the rollout.

Ms Rudd says the system is doing a good job, and calls for critical MPs to reconsider their position.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Shadow local government minister Lord Kennedy of Southwark asks what government estimates are on the number of tower blocks with combustible cladding.

Housing Minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth says work has started on 160 buildings, with work to replace cladding due to start on 44 in the social sector.

He adds 69 remain in the private sector, and the government has offered further financial assistance to them.

Lord Kennedy asks why the department has been so slow to act on this matter.

Lord Bourne says that it is "regrettable" that the government is still in this position, but he adds that the department has plans for all buildings.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine kicks things off in the Commons, asking about support for households transitioning to the new universal credit benefits system.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd says her department recognises the challenge that the "cultural shift presents".

It will provide advanced payments and spend over £3bn on transitional protections, ensuring the transfer is "fair and compassionate", she says.

Former Tory work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith welcomes reports that UC roll out will be delayed, whilst chair of the work and pensions committee Frank Field seeks clarification on whether "the best news since the benefit was introduced is correct".

Ms Rudd tells MPs she is "still considering" when to bring forward a vote in Parliament to move three million benefit claimants onto the new system.

She adds that there will be a vote on it before total rollout, whilst a planned pilot involving 10,000 people will inform the government further.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Press Association

Conservative Lord Holmes of Richmond asks what plans the government has to remove students from net migration statistics.

Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford says the government "does not seek" to influence the work of the Migration Advisory Committee, which includes students in its published statistics.

Lord Holmes asks if Baroness Williams thinks "this is the right strategy" for the UK, as many other EU countries do not count students in their statistics.

Baroness Williams says the "best" measures are how many foreign students are coming to the UK for study, which she says is up from 2010-2011.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Labour's Lord Berkeley asks if Transport for the North will consider increasing capacity for freight travel between Manchester and Leeds.

Transport Minister Baroness Sugg says the government is planning to spend £2.9bn on the Trans-Pennine route, and will continue to work on "potential future benefits" for freight.

Lord Berkeley says there is "enormous pressure" for freight to be able to travel across the rail network as the M62 is "enormously congested". He asks for "categoric assurance" that freight can run from now.

Baroness Sugg says that there is "some freight on the route already" and it plays "an important role" in reducing congestion on motorways.

House of Lords
Parliament

The day in the House of Lords also gets underway at 2:30pm, with oral question on topics including migration statistics and freight transport in the north.

Then the Lords will consider the Offensive Weapons Bill, external, which is currently on its second reading.

The legislation would create a series of new criminal offences relating to firearms, knives and acids including a ban on the possession of corrosive substances in a public place.

Peers are expected to end their day at around 8:30pm.

House of Commons
Parliament

Hello and welcome back - Parliament is sitting again for the first time since the Christmas recess.

In the Commons, MPs begin the day with questions to work and pensions ministers, before Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asks the first of two urgent questions.

Mr Corbyn will request a statement on progress made in achieving changes to the government's Brexit deal, which MPs are due to vote on next week.

After this Labour MP Tulip Sadiq will ask a question on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ongoing imprisonment in Iran.

Following urgent questions, there will be ministerial statements on the new 10-year plan for the NHS in England, and migrant crossings over the English Channel.

There will also be a third statement on drone regulation from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

After that, the day's main debate will focus on Westminster's response to an October report on bullying and harassment, and there's also time assigned for a backbench debate on children's social care.

The day will end with an adjournment debate on the report by the UN's special rapporteur on poverty in the UK.