What's happening in Parliament this week?

It's not been a quiet half-term recess, and the aftershocks of Nicola Sturgeon's departure and Rishi Sunak's Northern Ireland negotiations will doubtless ripple through the coming parliamentary week.

There will certainly be intense scrutiny of the words and demeanour on the SNP benches - plus suitably graceful frontbench tributes at PMQs on Wednesday.

But it's the prime minister's attempt to resolve the imbroglio over the Northern Ireland Protocol that has the most immediate implications for Westminster. Will it mean new legislation being dropped into the agenda at short notice? And will it soothe or detonate Tory tensions over Brexit?

Meanwhile, it's been quite like old times in the House of Lords with peers defeating the government eight times over the Public Order Bill - which may be a portent for two more controversial bills before them; the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, which received a savaging at Second Reading, is just entering committee stage, and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which is due for second reading on Wednesday.

A key issue in all these debates will be the sweeping powers the bills would give to ministers to issue regulations with the force of law.

This is an increasing irritation for peers who argue that such regulations ought to be on the face of the legislation they vote on, rather than smuggled through later with less scrutiny and no ability to amend. A key figure here is the crossbencher and former lord chief justice, Lord Judge, whose savage verdict on the REUL Bill still has some peers tittering happily.

There's certainly a Lords faction that wants to fight harder on these issues, rather than passing an amendment, then gracefully capitulating when it is rejected by the Commons majority.

Those who remember the epic battles over anti-terrorism powers 20 years ago recall that peers kept pressing amendments time and time again, rather than folding at the first whiff of Commons displeasure.

Labour, though, have a dilemma. They don't want the legislation, but scenting power after the next election, they don't want to start setting new precedents for blocking bills, or regulations, that could soon be used against a Labour government.

Monday 20 February

Commons: Levelling Up Questions from 14:30, with any urgent questions or government statements following at 15:30.

Main debate: a general debate on Ukraine.

Committees: Scottish Affairs (15:00) look at what Scottish utility providers have done to make networks more resilient since Storm Arwen in 2021, with evidence from SSEN, Scottish Power and Scottish Water.

Lords: From 14:30, the committee stage of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill (day one of eight). This is the start of a long legislative yomp, with high-powered issues being probed (but not voted on) as peers explore the detail of the bill and propose changes. These will include a number of attempts to reform or abolish leasehold, and the Conservative peer Lord Moylan's plan to allow local councils to veto road charging under ultra-low emissions zones. Votes will follow at the later report stage.

Tuesday 21 February

Commons: Justice Questions from 11:30.

Ten minute rule bill: The SNP's Amy Callaghan continues her campaign to remove VAT from sun-block products, to encourage people to protect themselves from skin cancers.

Main debate: MPs will whizz through all stages of the Social Security (Additional Payments) Bill. This authorises payments from the 2023/24 financial year to help with the increased costs of living. It provides for three separate payments totalling up to £900 for claimants receiving a means-tested benefit, and a payment of £150 for claimants receiving a payment of a qualifying disability benefit. This will be classified as a money bill, which means it won't be interfered with in the House of Lords.

Westminster Hall: Conservative Virginia Crosbie leads a general debate on freeport proposals for Wales (09:30).

Committees: Health and Social Care (11:15) questions Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty, in the first session of its new inquiry into prevention of ill health. He is on record as saying that many important areas of public health have "either trodden water or gone backwards" since the pandemic.

International Development (15:00) questions Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, on the current situation for women and girls in Afghanistan, and the UK aid response.

The Taliban have placed restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan

Lords: From 14:30, there will be a rapid third reading rubber stamping of the Public Order Bill - where the government has lost votes on eight amendments. And as that heads back to the Commons for MPs to consider the changes peers have made, enter the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, for its second reading debate. Peers don't strike down government legislation at this stage, but, as ever, watch out for early warning of the amendments which will be attempted at later stages of debate.

Wednesday 22 February

Commons: Scotland Questions from 11:30, followed at 12:00 by Prime Minister's Question Time.

Ten minute rule bill: Conservative Vicky Ford wants to change planning rules so that not only do new housing developments have to include a quota of affordable and social housing, but so too do conversions from office space; she argues this could have had a considerable impact on the number of homeless families in her Chelmsford constituency.

Main debate: The government is to extend the requirement for forming an executive and delay an Assembly election in Northern Ireland for another year. The secretary of state is introducing legislation that will push the timetable back to 18 January 2024.

Westminster Hall: The SNP's Drew Hendry leads a debate on consumer credits retained by energy suppliers (09:30).

Committees: Home Affairs (09:45) continues its inquiry into drugs with evidence from Home Office minister Chris Philp and Scottish Government Minister for Drugs Policy Angela Constance.

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (14:15) has a follow-up session with Royal Mail bosses Simon Thompson and Ricky McAulay, and Keith Williams, chair of the parent company, International Distribution Services. The committee says Mr Thompson's evidence, in an appearance last month, has prompted hundreds of evidence submissions from Royal Mail workers calling into question the accuracy of his statements. This could be bumpy.

Lords: The committee stage of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill from 15:00 (day two of eight).

Thursday 23 February

Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions (09:30), followed by the weekly update on the forthcoming Commons agenda, from the leader of the House.

Main debate: Backbench debate on the future of the NHS, its funding and staffing.

NHS staff have been striking over pay in recent months

Westminster Hall: Debates on Human Rights and Religious Minorities in Sudan (13:30), and Support for Turkey and Syria after the recent earthquake (15:00).

Committees: Public Accounts (10:00) hears from Energy UK, Citizens Advice and the Federation of Small Businesses on how the government's energy bills support is working on the ground.

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (10:00) questions the prime minister's new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus, fresh from his investigations into former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs, on the scope and powers of his role.

Lords: Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, day one of the committee stage from 11:00.

Friday 24 February

Commons: From 09:30, more private members' bills - new laws proposed by individual MPs - are back from scrutiny in committee. First up, the Co-Operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill from Labour's Sir Mark Hendrick. This aims to protect them from being targeted for "demutualisation" so that capital surpluses often built up over generations can become a windfall profit shared out among shareholders.

That's followed by Yasmin Qureshi's Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, yet another government-backed measure being pushed through via the private members' bill process.

And then comes former cabinet minister Dr Liam Fox's Electricity Transmission (Compensation) Bill, which aims to provide a fair compensation process for people whose land is affected by infrastructure work.

There are other bills listed for debate after that, but I doubt there will be time for them to make any progress.

The Lords is not sitting.