Next week's committees
As the current Parliament enters its final few weeks, Select Committee land is quieting down - with fewer evidence sessions and more closed meetings, devoted to writing up their reports (not least that of the special committee investigating the police raid on the offices of Damian Green MP - expected by the end of March, and being drafted, I hear, with "remarkable unanimity" by the committee members).
Even so, next week's crop of hearings includes a couple of corkers.
But first, details of a new inquiry - something increasingly rare as the election approaches.
The have called for written evidence for its short inquiry into fuel poverty. Despite having targets in England to eradicate fuel poverty amongst vulnerable groups by 2010 and in all households by 2016, the problem is getting worse: more than four million households were in fuel poverty in England in September 2008, compared to 1.2 million in 2004. The government has taken steps to try to improve the situation - for example, through bringing forward legislation to place social tariffs on a statutory footing - and the committee wants to find out whether those steps are adequate and what more can be done.
On Monday, the will hold a one off oral evidence session on the Government Equalities Office with Maria Eagle MP, minister at the Government Equalities Office and Ministry of Justice, and Jonathan Rees, director general, Government Equalities Office.
The aim is to question her on issues relating to the Minister for Women's priorities and the work of the GEO, and its two non-departmental public bodies the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the Women's National Commission.
The Commons financial watchdog, the , will hear evidence from NHS and local authority witnesses following the on Improving Dementia Services in England.
And the continues its inquiry into the dreaded NEETS - young people not in education, employment or training.
Possibly the most significant hearing of the week is on Tuesday - the tryst with Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England. He is due to give his views on the issue of banks that are "too big to fail" - institutions the taxpayer would have to bail out, because their collapse would destabilise the whole economy. Does the knowledge that they would have to be rescued allow them to take stupid risks? Should they be broken up? Are his answers to those questions the same as President Obama's? You can bet that the markets, as well as the institutions concerned, will be listening very carefully.
The begins its inquiry into DFID's assistance to Zimbabwe. Witnesses include academics and NGOs. They will look at the political situation in Zimbabwe and how this impacts on delivery of aid; the effects of land reform; and Zimbabwe's relations with neighbouring countries. And then they will turn to the delivery of basic services.
The (Lords and MPs) will hear from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Office Minister Alan Campbell on the issue of human trafficking. This follows up on last year's harrowing series of evidence sessions, unmasking the nature of the modern day slave trade.
The key role played by the motorsport and aerospace industries in British manufacturing is the subject for the In its third oral evidence session Ian Lucas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be the key witness.
Also on Tuesday - in the wake of losses suffered by some local councils during the credit crunch, the publishes its report into local authority investments: the role of the Financial Services Authority. It has some tough suggestions about how to improve the regulation of 'treasury management' in the public sector especially around the banking of cash reserves, and on the supervision of companies that specialise in advising local authorities.
On Wednesday, the will take evidence about the National Policy Statements on Energy - which will underpin planning decisions about new power stations and other major projects. Witnesses will include local anti-nuclear campaign groups, and the issue of what legal means may be used to stop the Energy NPS in its tracks may surface... so this session may get rather lively.
The continues to ponder the National Policy Statement for Ports, talking to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC); and Paul Clark MP, and officials from the Department for Transport.
A hardy perennial at - the Ministry of Defence's Major Projects Report 2009. There's always something in the annual review of the multi-billion pound defence procurement budget, and the PAC will be quizzing Sir Bill Jeffrey, MoD Permanent Under Secretary, General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue, Chief of Defence Materiel and Vice Admiral Paul Lambert , Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Capability). The hearing will be based on the which includes the caustic observation that "the Ministry of Defence has a multi-billion pound budgetary black hole which it is trying to fix with a 'save now, pay later' approach". This could get nasty.
The Justice Secretary Jack Straw's becoming a bit of a regular in the hot seat in various inquiries at the moment. Fresh from his grilling in the Chilcott/Iraq War inquiry, he will appear before the inquiry: Scotland and the UK: Co-operation Between Governments. Behind that anodyne title, they're looking at the events leading up to the vastly controversial decision to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.
On Thursday, publish another report on Young People's Sexual Health: the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. This is based on an which criticised the cost-effectiveness of the programme, and .
And, finally, the stages a debate in the Commons parallel debating chamber, Westminster Hall, on the technology of carbon capture. A chance for MPs beyond the committee to discuss what may be a planet-saving technology - and hear a minister give the government's views.
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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