Next week's business
Normal service is resumed at Westminster next week, when both the Lords and the Commons will swing into action.
In the past, I've tried to offer a weekly preview of the main action on the committee corridor, but I'm wondering if I should broaden it out, to preview highlights of the main business in the two houses? Below is my first stab at doing that. Any advice from readers gratefully received...
The big Commons event is on Tuesday when MPs begin detailed consideration of the - the bill to authorise the referendum on changing the voting system, and cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600 (see endless blogposts below). Because this is constitutional legislation, the clause-by-clause consideration of committee stage is taken on the floor of the House, and any MP can take part.
And further committee stage days are scheduled for Monday 18, Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 October. The government whips are said to be pretty confident, even joking with Tory awkward squaddies, who are planning all kinds of amendments to the bill.
But it is interesting that David Cameron thought it necessary to include an appeal not to mess with it in his conference speech. He said: "Now I know there will be compromise and I know we'll have to do things we might not like. Next May, there'll be a referendum on electoral reform. I don't want to change our voting system any more than you do. But let's not waste time trying to wreck the bill - let's just get out there and win the vote. Because you know what? At its best this party always puts country first."
Well, it's the referendum section of the bill coming up on Tuesday - when debate is expected to focus on the date, and whether it is right to hold the referendum alongside the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections. It will be a test for the amiable , Nick Clegg's Conservative deputy (the deputy deputy prime minister?) and Lib Dem Deputy Leader of the Commons David Heath, who'll be leading for the government, but my spies tell me that the focus of rebellion is moving to the constituency-cutting provisions, because the penny's dropped about the implications for individual MPs.
The debates chosen by the Backbench Business Committee on Thursday will be on compensation for NHS blood contamination, and on Anti-Slavery Day - which will cover people trafficking.
Former Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Office minister Fiona MacTaggart was instrumental in persuading the committee to let MPs debate this particular subject - she has a particular concern about women trafficked into Britain and forced into prostitution - and she'll be pressing the government to sign up to the EU directive on people trafficking, which among other things protects victims from instant deportation. (Trafficking is also debated in Westminster Hall on Tuesday, where newly elected Labour MP Emma Reynolds has an adjournment debate, and ministerial answers there could be taken down and used in evidence on Thursday.)
In the Lords, next week's most interesting-looking debate is on the report of the - a "take note" motion will be moved by the Lib Dem whip Lord Shutt of Greetland, who is the government's spokesman on Northern Ireland in the upper House. Watch out for the maiden speech from the former Director of Public Prosecutions Lord Macdonald of River Glaven - who'll be sitting as a Liberal Democrat. Maiden speeches are, by tradition, uncontroversial - but how uncontroversial can someone who's been at the centre of the legal system be, on a subject like this?
On the committee corridor, on Tuesday, the Culture Media and Sport Committee will be asking whether government funding cuts will lead to an arts apocalypse in Britain. The Arts Council's chief executive, Alan Davey, leads a panel of witnesses from the arts world - and they're expected to warn of permanent damage to the creative economy if cuts go much beyond 15%. There could also be some fun and games around the problems at The Public - the Β£65m digital arts centre in West Bromwich - one of the committee members is local MP Tom Watson.
With Education Secretary Michael Gove seeking to strengthen the disciplinary powers of head teachers, the Education Committee is talking to the teachers' unions and to psychologists about school discipline. And the Transport Committee is taking evidence on the law on drink and drug-driving.
On Wednesday, the from the financial watchdog the criticising the management of the Ministry of Defence budget - including the management of weapons programmes, where changes to specifications, renegotiations of contracts and postponements have run up considerable bills for the taxpayer. They will also be looking at the scope for savings in the management of the MoD's Β£20bn holdings of land and buildings. The witness is the Permanent Secretary at MoD, Bill Jeffrey.
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will hold an evidence session with Lord Saville, chairman of the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
And the Business Committee will be probing political scar tissue when it examines the coalition's decision to cancel a multi-million pound loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, which would have enabled them to manufacture parts for nuclear power stations - a decision which had constituency implications for Nick Clegg who's a Sheffield MP. The committee will be quizzing the Business Secretary Vince Cable on Thursday.
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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