What's happening in Parliament this week?
- Published
The fallout from the inquiry which found Boris Johnson knowingly misled MPs continues on Monday, when MPs will be asked to approve another report from the Privileges Committee, which names and attempts to shame a number of senior Conservatives for a "co-ordinated campaign of interference," in their inquiry, including former Commons Leader Jacob Rees Mogg and former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.
The motion says that MPs should not impugn the integrity of the committee when conducting such an investigation.
Because this is a matter of privilege, not standards, the motion is both debateable and amendable, and the Lib Dems are proposing an amendment seeking sanctions for the MPs who were named as seeking to interfere with the investigation into Boris Johnson.
There's also an amendment from a group of backbench Conservatives led by former Home Secretary Priti Patel, which which seeks to water down the bit about impugning committee members and to remove the words "notes with approval" from the motion - a swipe at the Committee. More amendments may follow.
Elsewhere, Parliament's glide path to its summer recess looks likely to encounter some turbulence.
There will be intensive ping-pong between the two Houses as the Lords and Commons seek to finalise several bills, with some talk that the Illegal Migration Bill, much amended in the Lords, could run past the summer break and into Parliament's brief September sitting.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt has announced four slots to consider Lords messages about the bill, (including two on Wednesday 19th) but after 20 government defeats, there is much to resolve.
And peers embark on another legislative marathon with the start of seven days of report stage on the sprawling Levelling Up Bill.
This covers a vast range of issues - devolution of bus services, high street banks, local nature plans, ancient woodland and the planning system, and, in an unusual move, the government has added in a new set of amendments on childcare at this late stage (Nerd note: this required changing the long title of the Bill) which could require the addition of a further Report day.
Monday 10 July
Commons (14:30) Levelling Up Questions, with any urgent questions or government statements following at 15:30.
Main debate: MPs debate the follow-up report by the Privileges Committee, to its inquiry into whether Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament over the Downing Street lockdown parties saga.
MPs will also polish off their consideration of the spectacularly uncontroversial Electronic Trade Documents Bill, and then turn to the Northern Ireland Budget (No2) Bill, the latest of a long series of measures required because of the suspension of devolved government in Stormont.
Westminster Hall: (16:30) MPs debate e-petition 626737 to make bird-friendly "swift bricks" compulsory in new housing to provide nesting sites for red-listed species like swifts. The petition attracted 109,894 signatures.
Committees: (16:00) Levelling Up, Housing and Communities questions Housing and Planning Minister, Rachel Maclean, the Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway, and renters and landlords' groups on the Government's Renters (Reform) Bill.
The session will cover the implications of a new ombudsman for the private rented sector, abolishing assured shorthold tenancies plus housing quality and affordability.
Lords: (14:30) Peers begin with a couple of rapid formalities: they rubber stamp a money bill, the Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) (No.2) Bill, and then there will be a rapid Third Reading for the Illegal Migration Bill
The main event is the second Report Stage day on the Online Safety Bill - this has become rather consensual in recent weeks, but it's possible Crossbench campaigner Lady Kidron may push her amendments on a duty on service providers to protect children.
Tuesday 11 July
Commons: (11:30) Health questions, then Labour's Rachel Maskell has a ten minute rule bill to create a statutory definition of workplace bullying
Main debate: Hot from the House of Lords, MPs debate Lords amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill. The normal form is flat rejection of amendments voted through against government resistance (some of the changes made will be government tidying up amendments) but watch out for Conservative backbench pressure on issues like modern slavery and detention of child migrants.
Committees: Treasury (10:15) questions the mortgage lenders including Lloyds, Santander, Nationwide on the impact of rising rates on consumers house prices and the wider housing market.
Health (10:00) looks at how the places people live encourage or discourage activities such as sport, exercise, leisure and active travel. Witnesses include cycling hero Chris Boardman.
Lords: (14:30) The first of a scheduled seven days of Report on the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill . Most of today's amendments are focused on what levelling up actually means in practice - for example Crossbencher Lady Finlay wants it to cover health disparities, and Labour shadow minister Lady Hayman wants an independent assessment of the way levelling up funding is allocated.
Wednesday 12 July
Commons: (11:30) Women and Equalities Questions, followed, at noon, by Prime Minister's Question Time.
The ten minute rule bill comes from Lib Dem Daisy Cooper who is calling for an independent reviewer to be appointed to produce a quarterly assessment of primary care services - GPs, dentists, pharmacies and mental health provision - in England.
Main debate: A Labour Opposition Day debate - motion or motions to be announced.
Westminster Hall: Labour's Clive Efford leads a debate into the Metropolitan Police investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence (14:30).
Committees: Environment Food and Rural Affairs (09:30) quiz Thames Water, the Government, and water regulator Ofwat will be on the company's apparent financial crisis. Witnesses include CEO David Watt and Environmental Quality Minister Rebecca Pow.
Lords: (5:00): Day 3 of Report Stage consideration of the Online Safety Bill - there could be votes on the privacy of age verification systems (Lady Kidron again), on parliamentary oversight of the secretary of state's extensive powers under the bill (Conservative Lady Stowell) and watch out for some late amendments on publishing videos of animal torture, where the existing law is not thought strong enough.
Later on, there could be consideration of Commons messages on the Illegal Migration Bill. Ominously, the deputy speakers are said to have drawn up a rota extending to the early hours of Thursday.
Thursday 13 July
Commons: (09:30) Transport Questions, followed by the weekly update on the forthcoming Commons agenda, from the Leader of the House.
Main Debate: Backbench debates the Foreign Affairs Committee report, The cost of complacency: illicit finance and the war in Ukraine, followed by the Health and Social Care Committee report, Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care,
Westminster Hall: The SNP's Marion Fellows, one of the leading campaigners in the Post Office Horizon miscarriage of justice scandal, leads a debate on the management culture at the Post Office - it will cover the bonuses paid to senior managers, racial profiling, non-disclosure and attempts to minimise the compensation paid to sub postmasters wrongly convicted of fraud.
Committees: Public Accounts (10:00) scrutinises the condition of school buildings, after a National Audit Office report found that the condition of the school estate is declining, with safety concerns about some types of buildings.
Lords: (11:00) Day 2 of Report on the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill - with amendments on possible extension of metro-mayoralties, and allowing district councillors a role on joint authorities.
There could also be more ping-pong on Commons Reasons or amendments to one of the several bills bouncing between MPs and peers.
Friday 14 July
Commons: (not sitting)
Lords: (10:00) The House will rattle through a long list of private members bills - new laws proposed by individual peers.
First there are Third Reading debates on a series of bills that have already cleared the Commons, and are set to become law: the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, and the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill; the Child Support (Enforcement) Bill.
The Women, Peace and Security Bill, which deals with support for women in UK sponsored and supported conflict prevention, peace processes, mediation and diplomatic delegations, has a Third Reading, but there's unlikely to be time for it to go through the Commons.
Then come Second Readings for some bills which are not so far through the system; the Firearms Bill which regulates rifle ranges, the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill , the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees Bill and the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) (No. 2) Bill, and Committee on the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill.
Some of these bills could be vulnerable if opponents pass the smallest amendment, because any change would require them to be considered again in the Commons, and debating time is unlikely to be available.
There's a pretty determined lobby against the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which seeks to ban the advertising in the UK of things like elephant rides, dolphinariums and close encounters with big cats. Critics say it would hit tourism in developing countries.
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