What's on in the week ahead?

The event of the week, next week, is an extraordinary looking Home Affairs Committee session on drugs - featuring Daily Mail columnist Peter Hitchens and (gulp!) bad boy celeb, Russell Brand. Sadly, they won't be giving evidence at the same time.

On a slightly more serious note, that turbulent twosome are followed by what turns out to be a rather well-timed evidence session with Home Secretary Theresa May…theoretically it's on the same subject, drugs, but the chances of the name Abu Qatada not coming up must be vanishingly small. The fun begins on Tuesday at 11am, with Mr Brand, Mr Hitchens is on stage at 12pm, and the home secretary gives evidence from 12.30pm.

Next week is the last full week of the current parliamentary session - so business in both houses will be dominated by the last rites for the remaining legislation.

In particular, considerable time has been reserved on the Commons calendar to deal with Lords amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. The Lords seem pretty certain to press the amendments they have made, and which MPs have now rejected.

These cover such subjects as access to legal aid for challenges to welfare benefits rulings and for domestic violence cases. And there's a particularly emotive battle over the provision to make people who have won compensation for industrial diseases pay some of it towards their legal costs - the Lords voted through an exemption for people with mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos; the Commons overturned it.

If the Lords press their case, watch Tory backbencher Tracey Crouch, who defied the government whip and voted with Labour, in an attempt to make that exemption stick.

Business in the Commons on Monday opens with questions to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and his team - and then (assuming there are no ministerial statements or urgent questions) MPs move onto the report stage of the Financial Services Bill, the overhaul of regulations designed to prevent a future bank crash or credit crunch.

It's a fairly thin day on the committee corridor - there's a Work and Pensions Committee hearing on EU pensions policy and the Communities and Local Government Committee is examining the work of the Local Government Ombudsman, with witnesses from the social care sector.

In the Lords (from 2.30pm) peers debate their response to the Commons over the Legal Aid etc Bill (see above).

Meanwhile, there will also be considerable interest in a press conference (at 11am) to unveil the final verdict of the joint committee of MPs and peers who've been scrutinising the government's proposals to reshape the House of Lords.

The chair, the former Labour leader of the Lords, Lord Richard, will set out detailed proposals on such issues as the size of the future House, the future of the bishops, the manner in which elected members should be introduced and the transitional proposals for shifting from an all-appointed to a mostly-elected chamber. This will be the overture to what promises to be a long drawn out piece of parliamentary theatre in the next session. There is some pressure for there to be a full-dress debate on the committee's findings in the Lords, before the end of the session.

On Tuesday (from 2.30pm) the Commons begins with questions to Chancellor George Osborne - which will doubtless include continued fallout from the Finance Bill, and the various controversies over the pasty tax, caravan tax, etc. Conservative backbencher Philip Davies presents a ten minute rule bill requiring the compulsory labelling of products containing kosher or halal meat.

After that MPs have time set aside to deal with Lords amendments to the Legal Aid Bill (if any). They will debate a motion on an EU directive on data protection in the area of policing and criminal justice and then there will be a general debate on National Planning Policy Framework.

There's a lot of activity in committee-land, including the Home Affairs Committee session mentioned above. Education Secretary Michael Gove is before his departmental committee at 9.30am to talk about school improvement and child protection, and the TV newsreader and cycling advocate Jon Snow is guest of honour at the Transport Committee for a session on road safety (from 10.10am). And the Joint Committee on Human Rights has a session on the role of the Children's Commissioner for England (2pm).

In the Lords, peers have the third reading debate on the Scotland Bill - which increases the powers of the Scottish Parliament. They may also debate a bill to allow Sunday trading during the Olympics - something promised in the Budget, last month. It is a short bill and the Commons is scheduled to debate it and pass it in a single gulp on Monday 30 April.

On Wednesday (from 11.30am), MPs question Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan and then the prime minister. The DUP's Dr William McCrea has a ten minute rule bill to reduce access on the internet to information on how to commit suicide, and to develop a system of alerts and blocks for internet searches related to suicide. Then there's another slot reserved to allow MPs to respond to Lords amendments to the Legal Aid Bill, plus detailed consideration of the Civil Aviation Bill.

The Science and Technology Committee (at 9.15am) have a rather biblical-sounding session on "Bridging the Valley of Death". This turns out not to be as portentous as it sounds - it means the gap between "proof of concept" in research, and bringing a product into mass production and selling it: a gap in which many fledgling biotechnology companies plunge to their demise. Witnesses include investment managers, academics and entrepreneurs.

The Public Administration Committee (at 10am) questions Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude about the rules on business appointments - on former ministers and civil servants taking up private jobs after leaving government. The Scottish Affairs Committee (at 2.30pm) has a session with ministers on the defence ramifications of Scottish independence and the Public Accounts Committee (at 3.15pm) has a "progress report" on the government's strategy to deal with fraud and evasion of alcohol excise duty.

In the Lords (from 3pm) peers have pencilled in more ping-pong time for consideration of the Commons response to their latest proposals on the Legal Aid Bill.

On Thursday, MPs begin by questioning Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Caroline Spelman and then quiz the members who speak for the Church commissioners, the Electoral Commission, and the Public Accounts Commission. Then it's more time set aside for Lords amendments to the Legal Aid Bill, if any.

Proceedings end with an adjournment debate from the Conservative Graham Stuart on the proposal to impose VAT on static caravans - something he opposed in the Finance Bill debate. The government has promised extra consultation, and Mr Stuart is clearly keeping up the pressure.

After its report on the government's decision to leave the Navy without aircraft carrier capability for nine years, the Public Accounts Committee returns to the subject with a session with Ministry of Defence officials at 9.45am. Surgical strike, or mass destruction? That depends on how they explain the lack of a government response so far.

The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee probes government proposals for a statutory register of lobbyists (at 10am) and the Business Committee looks at progress in creating more apprenticeships.

And to finish off the week, in the Lords (from 11am) peers polish off the Sunday Trading (London Olympic and Paralympic Games) Bill - which is due to go to MPs the following Monday.