Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

After months of silence, it's going to be an action-packed Thursday morning on the - as the newly-constituted select committees spring into action.

At 9.30am, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Secretary Theresa May makes her debut before - where the subject matter is expected to include policing, immigration, crime and counter-terrorism. Mr Vaz says he's particularly interested to discuss the intended cap on migration, the election of police commissioners, proposals for reducing police bureaucracy, and the impact of 25% to 40% budget cuts on crime and policing; as well as recent events in Whitehaven and Northumberland.

At 10.30am the , led by its new Chair, Andrew Tyrie will be quizzing Chancellor George Osborne and his officials about the Budget and his overall judgement of the state of the economy. Normally the committee would already have reported on the Budget, before the Finance Bill was put before the Commons - but the delays in setting it up have made that impossible.

Also at 10.30am the , chaired by Malcolm Bruce, has its first meeting with DFID Secretary Andrew Mitchell about the role he plans for his department and the "ring-fenced" status of the aid budget.

Most of the other committees will be kicking off their activities with a "getting to know you" session with the relevant secretary of state, and some will also launch specific inquiries in the days to come. The Treasury Committee has already announced that it will be looking into "Competition and Choice in the Banking Sector", to address concerns that the rash of mergers and absorptions of crisis-hit banks and building societies will disadvantage the consumer. Expect plenty more inquiries in the next few days.

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