Next week's committees
Select committee-land is probably the most interesting bit of Parliament at the moment, with little excitement anywhere else, bar PMQs and the odd big ministerial statement.
And next week has some gems....
On Monday, the looks at the enforcement of regulations on commercial vehicles. It's an evidence session with: Alastair Peoples, of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency, Stephen Gooding, director general, Motoring and Freight Services Group and Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport.
The concludes the public evidence for its inquiry into the PREVENT(ing violent extremism) programme with evidence from Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik, who has strong views and specific information about the impact of the programme. He'll be followed by the Communities Secretary John Denham.
(A further private session will be held with officials from the Office of Security and Counter terrorism at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Office).
This one could be fun: the will be talking to Ed Balls, the Secretary of State, and his Permanent Secretary David Bell to examine why the Department didn't invite the Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing with Kathleen Tattersall before her appointment in December as chief regulator at OFQUAL, the new qualifications watchdog. This follows a nasty spat about the appointment of the new Children's Commissioner, Maggie Atkinson. The CSF committee declined to endorse her, but Mr Balls anointed her regardless, resulting in Chairman Barry Sheerman touring every TV and radio studio in the land to express displeasure, even calling Mr Balls "a bit of a bully". Now the rematch...
Do Corus want to close the steel plant in Redcar permanently - putting thousands of jobs in the North East at risk - or is it being genuine when it says it is mothballing the plant to re-open later? Jon Bolton, managing director of the steel works, Nick Brown the regional minister and Vera Baird, the local MP, all give evidence to the .
On Tuesday the starts its inquiry into banks that are "Too Big to Fail".
MPs will question some of the UK's top economists - John Kay, Charles Goodhart and Roger Bootle. This should be interesting in its own right, because there is no resolution in sight to the question of what to do about banks that are so big that their fall could destabilise the whole system as well as wrecking the national finances. But it will also tee up an appearance by the Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King the following week, on the same issue. And the Governator is prone to use these sessions for major announcements, as when he told them, a while back, that the government had now maxed out the national credit card, and couldn't afford to borrow any more, sending shudders through the markets.
An equally fascinating figure, Lord Mandelson, will be before the . He will be talking about the work of his BIS department, which means the MPs on the committee can ask him about pretty well anything they fancy. The bid for Cadbury - and ministerial jeremiads about foreign asset-strippers are certain to feature, and there might be a few gripes about his new-fangled question-time in the Lords, as well. Committee chairman Peter Luff is known to be unamused.
On Wednesday, the takes evidence on Ofsted's inspection role of children's social services. Is Ofsted is too big to cope with all its responsibilities? The Baby P case could well feature, not least since Dame Denise Platt, chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, will be in the witness seat.
The continue their intensive inquiry (two sessions most Wednesdays this half term) looking at all the National Policy Statements for the Energy Sector. Next week it's the turn of the renewable sector and the distribution system (national grid and Energy Networks Association) to flag up how far the NPS will hammer or help the development of small scale distributed renewable energy supplies and offshore wind developments.
The is away on a visit to the National Forest to take evidence from forest users and local business as well as the National Forest Company on a project to plant a huge new forest between Tamworth and Loughborough and whether it is delivering environmental, social and economic benefits.
The continues its inquiry into the National Policy Statement for ports. Since most of the new port infrastructure required for the next decade plus has already earned planning consent under the existing system this NPS is not all that controversial.
The takes evidence in its bioengineering inquiry, from Professor Lisa Jardine, chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; Dr Paul Logan, from the Hazardous Installations Directorate, Health and Safety Executive; Professor Chris Pollock CBE, of the University of Aberystwyth; and Dr Martyn Ward, head, Clinical Trials Unit, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
On Thursday, the go topical when they quiz the nation's splendidly named waste-finder general Amyas Morse, Comptroller and Auditor General, the head of the National Audit Office (the government's internal financial watchdog) and from Steve Bundred, of the Audit Commission, on the challenges of governing with no money.
It will be worth going along to see which would-be ministers are sitting at the back, taking notes.
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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