Week ahead

What's happening for the rest of the week ahead in Westminster?

Wednesday's proceedings kick off at 11.30am in the Commons and there are questions to the Cabinet Office team before the weekly bunfight between David Cameron and Ed Miliband at 12 noon. (Interestingly, the Daily Mail carried a story this week about support from the public for Speaker John Bercow's stance towards MPs during rowdy moments in the Commons.)

The afternoon sees MPs polish off the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill at report stage and third reading; followed by an adjournment debate from Nia Griffith on regulating the hairdressing industry.

The Lords meets at 3pm and after questions to ministers, peers consider Baroness Hayman's House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Bill at third reading.

Peers can already be removed from the House if sentenced to a year or more in prison, or for non-attendence - this bill adds the armoury of disciplinary powers, by allowing for a suspension beyond the length of a Parliament (at the moment, someone found to have broken House rules could be suspended for nearly five years, if caught at the start of a Parliament, but only for a few months or even weeks, if caught towards the end of a Parliament).

And the bill would also allow expulsion for serious or repeated breaches of House rules,

After that, it's the Pension Schemes Bill in a committee of the whole House and peers will also enjoy a debate on improving the level of medical competence and skill in the NHS, introduced by Lord Parekh.

On Thursday, the Commons opens with questions to Business Secretary Vince Cable and his ministerial team, Leader of the House William Hague will outline the following week's business to MPs.

Then there are debates on higher education funding - a report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee; following by a debate on a report from the Foreign Affairs Committee concerning Gibraltar - it's entitled Gibraltar: Time to get off the fence.

The report summarises that "the behaviour of Spain toward Gibraltar is unacceptable. A NATO and EU ally is, as a matter of policy, deliberately impacting the economy of a British Overseas Territory. It is time for the Government to get off the fence and take a tougher line."

Strong stuff.

The day ends with an adjournment debate on disabled access to historic buildings led by historian and Tory MP Chris Skidmore.

Peers meet at 11am on a Thursday and after the usual questions session will enjoy debates on the case for early years intervention in breaking the cycle of deprivation and promoting social mobility; the future of the NHS and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in the developing world.

The Lords are not sitting on Friday but the Commons will be dealing with private members' bills.

I expect most of the time to be taken up with two bills that have emerged from their committee stage - first, Jeremy Lefroy's Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Bill which contains a number of measures to improve standards in the NHS. The bill is Mr Lefroy's reaction to the findings of the the public inquiry into care standards at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust which covers his constituency.

Following that, we'll see the report stage of Richard Bacon's Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Bill, which is designed to encourage more people to design their own homes. Will there be time to get onto Christopher Chope's European Parliament Elections Bill? Maybe...