Viewing guide: The week ahead

Monday in the Commons begins (at 2.30pm) with questions to the Home Secretary, Theresa May. At 3.30, it's expected David Cameron will report back to the House about the European Summit. After last week's buffeting from Eurosceptic backbenchers, he can expect a warm reception from them, for vetoing the proposed new EU treaty - but there will certainly be attempts to encourage him towards renegotiating Britain's relationship. Watch out for much putting down of markers both by Conservative Eurosceptics (and outright withdrawers, no longer a fringe group) and by Lib Dem Europhiles. Ed Miliband's response will be scanned closely for any hints of a euro-rethink on Labour's side, too.

That's followed by a general debate on immigration - and the day's proceedings are rounded off by an adjournment debate on pregnancy counselling, led by labour's Gavin Shuker.

On the committee corridor, the Public Accounts Committee (3.15pm) probe the Care Quality Commission, which was accused in a National Audit Office report of failing, so far, to achieve value for money in regulating the quality and safety of health and adult social care in England. Witnesses include Mike Farrar, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation; Una O'Brien, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health; Cynthia Bower the Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission and Amanda Sherlock, the commission's Director of Operations.

Press baron Viscount Rothermere, Chairman of the Daily Mail & General Trust becomes the next newspaper owner to appear before the Privacy and Injunctions Joint Committee (2.15 pm), the committee pondering the state of the laws on privacy. He will have a supporting cast of senior managers and will be followed by James Harding, Editor of The Times, Peter Wright, Editor of the Mail on Sunday, and Bob Satchwell, Executive Director of the Society of Editors

The Combined Committees on Arms Exports begin their annual vetting of the UK arms trade with evidence from EGAD,the Export Group for Aerospace and Defence, and NGOs. Witnesses also include Saferworld, Amnesty and Oxfam, (3.45)

The Work and Pensions Committee holds its final evidence on proposals to replace Disability Living Allowance - with Personal Independence Payment with Maria Miller MP, Minister for Disabled People. This is one of the major issues in the Welfare Reform Bill (see Lords, below) (4.30pm)

In the Lords, after 17 days of debate, behind the scenes in grand committee, the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the chamber for report stage - with a considerable pile of amendments pending. The grand committee debate, while very detailed, didn't result in any votes; it simply sharpened up the issues. Now issues like the operation of the proposed cap on household income from benefits, the switch from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments and many, many, others will be fought out on the floor of the House - look out for amendments from the Crossbencher and wheelchair user Lady Grey-Thompson, who plans to push a series of issues to a vote in the coming days. The likelihood is that there will be plenty of changes which will have to be sent back to the Commons to be accepted or rejected by MPs. Once again, peers are poised to perform radical surgery on another mega-bill. Watch this space.

It's Justice Questions in the Commons at 2.30pm on Tuesday, with Ken Clarke and his team - and then the Conservative backbencher Andrew Rosindell has a ten minute rule bill requiring the government to publish an annual list of the public holidays and bank holidays due ten years later - the idea being to give communities the chance to plan for big occasions. MPs will then be asked to approve the appointment of Andrew Dilnot as the new Chair of the Statistics Board, as well as new sanctions against Iran.

But the most exciting item on the agenda is the Democratic Unionists' opposition day debate - the motion will follow up the outcome of that Euro-summit, and given the DUP's strongly Eurosceptic credentials, it could provide Conservative backbenchers with a convenient opportunity to send a message to their leadership.

Conservative David Morris leads the adjournment debate - on the illegal downloading of music.

The Education Committee (10am) continues its inquiry into child protection, examining the thresholds at which officials intervene in families, particularly through care proceedings and adoption. They will also look at the effectiveness of adoption in improving outcomes for children in the child protection system. Witnesses include Martin Narey, the government's adoption czar and Lib Dem MP John Hemming, Founder and Chairman of Justice for Families

At 10.45 am, the Culture Committee questions the BBC's top brass on their Annual Report and Accounts - which means questions can run the gamut from Jeremy Clarkson to local radio cuts….The witnesses are BBC Trust Chairman Lord Patten, Director-General Mark Thompson, and Zarin Patel, the BBC's Chief Financial Officer.

Lord Justice Leveson takes some time out from grilling tabloid hacks (and hackers) to discuss the Sentencing Council Annual Report with the Justice Select Committee. 10.00, and the Transport Committee hears from the CAA and aviation minister Theresa Villiers as part of its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Civil Aviation Bill.(10.05) The bill will go before the Commons in the new year - so the committee will have to report fairly rapidly.

Ofgem, RSPB and the Crown Estate discuss the prospects for wave and tidal power in the UK, with the Energy and Climate Change Committee (10.15); Gregory Barker MP, DECC Minister of State, gives his views at 11.00.

The BIS Committee continues its inquiry into consumer debt management with Tony Hobman and Lesley Robinson from the Money Advice Service and Vivienne Dews and David Fisher from the Office of Fair Trading, as well as BIS minister Ed Davey (10.30). And there's more delving into the machinery of government as the Public Administration Committee continues its inquiry into strategic thinking in Whitehall with academics and think-tankers. (10.30)

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, tells his select committee whether he believes the Durban climate talks have saved the planet - or at least made progress towards a legally binding deal on carbon emissions. (2.15pm)

It's a sign of how tight the government's legislative timetable has become that the Lords is opening for business at 11am rather than the usual 3pm, to allow extra time to debate the Health and Social Care Bill - peers will break for their daily question time at 2.30pm and then resume, with the prospect of slogging on until they've reached clause 147. This is Day 12 of what had originally been scheduled as 14 days of Committee Stage, but has now been quietly extended to 15 days…. Will even more days be needed?

Wednesday begins in the Commons with questions to the Ministers for the Cabinet Office - and given that one of them, Francis Maude, is in charge of the negotiations on public sector pensions this could be a livelier occasion than usual. Then at noon, it's the last prime minister's questions of 2011, with former Home Secretary David Blunkett among the MPs scheduled for a moment of prime-time Commons glory. That's followed by a ten minute rule bill from the Conservative Priti Patel on the rights of victims of crime, and then by an assortment of internal motions and another opposition day debate. Labour's Paul Blomfield winds up procedings with an adjournment debate on pedestrian access through railway stations.

A very busy day, perhaps the last of the year, in committee-land, with all sorts of important hearings as committees push to finish various key inquiries. The Work and Pensions Committee - a much higher powered body in this parliament than in its previous incarnation - takes evidence on proposals for automatic enrolment in workplace pension schemes - a vital part of this Government's and the last's plans to boost savings for retirement. The National Employment Savings Trust, the body charged with providing independent advice for the scheme, gives evidence at 10am.

The Public Accounts Committee takes evidence on the preparations for the Olympics after a National Audit Office report report found that the Olympic Delivery Authority remains on course to deliver its work on the Olympic Park successfully - but with little margin left for unforseen costs to emerge in the eight months till the Games begin.

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Chloe Smith, round off the Scottish Affairs Committee's inquiry into the Crown Estate in Scotland - which covers the economic and renewable energy potential of the Scottish coastline. (9.45) And officials from the Treasury and three other Government departments explain the government's plans to build a green economy to the Environmental Audit Committee. (10.10) And they then reconvene a little later, at 12.50 for more evidence from Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Caroline Spelman, and Treasury Minister, Chloe Smith, who is obviously making the most of her visit to the committee corridor

In a flashback to the height of the Credit Crunch, the Treasury Committee has a session with top bankers - the Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, Peter Sands (3.30pm), and Chief Executive of Barclays PLC, Bob Diamond (4.30pm), will be giving evidence on the Independent Commission on Banking's final report on how to stop it all happening again. Last week, at the committee, the Chancellor, George Osborne, promised the government's formal response will be published on 19th December.

The Communities and Local Government committee has the top trio at their department, Secretary of State Eric Pickles, and Ministers of State Greg Clark and Grant Shapps in to discuss the work of their department. With plenty to talk about in housing, planning, localism and big city governance this should provide plenty to chew on. (4.15)

And, armed with a portfolio of infrastructure improvements funded in last week's Autumn Statement, the Transport Secretary Justine Greening goes before the Transport Committee at 5.05pm.

In the Lords it's back to the normal 3pm start, for Day 2 of report stage discussion on the Welfare Reform Bill. The intention is to cram most of the report stage of this bill in before Christmas, but as with the Health Bill, it could be very heavy going.

It's culture questions on Thursday (from 10.30) followed by the usual statement on forthcoming Commons business by the Leader of the House, Sir George Young - MPs may be clamouring for a bit more substantive legislation to chew on. Then they can start clamouring for changes to their expenses system - they will be debating the recommendations of a special select committee committee under the Conservative Adam Afriyie. The report is due to be published on Monday and Mr Afriyie seems to be very confident that its contents can be approved, almost rubber stamped, with just a short debate. But so toxic is the whole issue, that MPs may spend quite a while flagellating IPSA, and themselves. Another backbench debate, on financial education for young people follows - Conservatives Justin Tomlinson, Andrew Percy and Mark Garnier ring-master proceedings on a motion calling for financial education to become part of the school curriculum.

The committee corridor is deserted - no sittings at all, but watch out for the Defence Committee's report on the long term care for injured Service personnel.

Another early start for Their Lordships - they convene at 10am to debate a "prayer to annul" the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 from Lady O'Cathain, who has assumed the mantle of the late Lady Young on moral issues in the Upper House. Then it's more of the Health and Social Care Bill - day 13 of the committee stage.

Neither House sits on Friday.