Next week's business
After the tuition fees dramas, Westminster may be a bit quieter next week. There's plenty of legislation planned for Parliament's last full week before Christmas - but nothing likely to inspire the ructions just seen.
Monday's timetable opens with Defence Questions and after that there's the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, the measure that proposes elected policing and crime commissioners to replace the present appointed police authorities. Will Theresa May be making a statement on the student demonstrations on Thursday - and the attack on Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall's car?
Their lordships will be spending a fourth day of a committee of the whole House on the Parliamentary Voting Bill. And a week of extraordinarily interesting committees begins - Monday sees the questioning Michael Barnier, the European Commissioner for the internal market on the EU's proposals for regulating financial services. This is a crucial area for Britain which is Europe's biggest player in the global financial services sector, by a mile. There are serious worries that the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority could undermine a key part of the UK economy, if it takes too heavy-handed an approach.
Also on Monday, the Arms Exports Committee examines strategic export control policy. This is an annual exercise in scrutinising the arms trade - with perennial issues about what is exported to whom, and about the extent to which Britain can control the activities of British companies abroad. Should they be allowed to enter deals from other countries which would be illegal if conducted from Britain?
Tuesday involves a spot of mopping up in the Commons: Lords amendments to the Superannuation Bill and the Identity Documents Bill will be considered and the remaining stages of the Terrorist Asset Freezing Bill will be gone through. The Lords - in another committee of the whole House - will be talking about the Public Bodies Bill - the measure that will allow quangos to be abolished at the stroke of a ministerial pen. But the event to watch is the Higher Education (Basic Amount) Regulations - the tuition fees measure that caused so much trouble in the Commons. It is not at all clear that peers will simply rubber-stamp it. Much will depend on whether the crossbenchers gang up against the coalition - as well as on the number of Lib Dem and Tory peers who may rebel.
The committee corridor is jam-packed with ministers and Secretaries of State this week and Tuesday is one of the busiest days. Michael Gove is up in front of the while Theresa May is in front of the . And Minister of State Theresa Villiers is in front of in their inquiry into transport and the economy. Meanwhile, the is looking at progress on the Olympics.
It's PMQs on Wednesday where the two leaders seem to have taken turns to duff each other up, and MPs will rush through the Loans to Ireland Bill. This may not be a completely straightforward exercise. The idea of spending billions of British taxpayers' money on bailing out a euro-zone country is not exactly popular on the Conservative benches, so look out for critical speeches and, maybe, awkward amendments.
The Lords may be thoroughly tired of the Parliamentary Voting Bill by now - but they've got day five of their committee of the whole House. And the VIP queue outside the committee rooms continues: Andrew Lansley will be talking to the about his reforms to NHS Commissioning. Ken Clarke is at the , Chris Huhne at and Liam Fox at And the Culture, Media and Sport Committee will be taking evidence on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's annual report from Director-General Mark Thompson and Chairman Sir Michael Lyons - with attention likely to be focused on the implications of the hastily-agreed licence fee settlement, reached as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review..
And that's not all. Former Foreign Secretaries David Miliband and Malcolm Rifkind will be .
By Thursday, it's looking a bit quieter. MPs will be debating Backbench Business in the afternoon - a motion relating to Park Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔs and one to the work of the Committee of Public Accounts. Their lordships will be debating the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the reorganisation of the NHS. And on Friday - neither House is sitting.
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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