Next week's business
Along with forestry, the price of fuel is exercising rural MPs - and next week, they will have a chance to debate it. Monday sees an Opposition half day debate, with the SNP/Plaid discussing government policy on the cost of fuel. Cue outrage from MPs with (geographically) large constituencies, and calls for some kind of rural rebate.
It follows Education Questions; and is then followed by motions relating to the Standards and Privileges Committee on a couple of mildly interesting topics: the running of all party groups, which can sometimes become Trojan horses for special interests; and the registration of MPs' income from outside employment.
Their lordships will be settling in for another week of...yes, the Parliamentary Voting Bill. But this time, it's report stage and (see blog posts) we could be looking at a resumption of hostilities. The Lords will also be discussing the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill at third reading. This is the bill that puts the Office for Budget Responsibility, the new public finances watchdog, on a statutory footing.
On Monday, too, William Hague will be appearing in front of the , to answer questions about the work of the department - this was supposed to be a fairly teccy session about the impact of new institutions like the National Security Council, but questions about Egypt are certain to come up. And the will be examining the implications of the impending abolition of another financial watchdog, the Audit Commission, for the policing of local councils' finances.
On Tuesday, George Osborne will be answering Treasury Questions, then, after Robert Halfon's Ten Minute Rule Motion proposing that Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ licence fee payers should have online voting rights on policy issues and on the election of top Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ folk, the chamber will debate Michael Gove's Education Bill at second reading. This gives schools more autonomy and introduces a "pupil premium" which will provide extra funding for the education of disadvantaged children.
Lords' oral questions include two interesting ones: the gap between rich and poor in the UK (from Lord Smith of Clifton) and opting out of the police and justice provision in the Lisbon Treaty (UKIP's Lord Pearson of Rannoch). Then their lordships will knuckle down to day two of report stage of the Parliamentary Voting Bill.
On committee corridor, there's plenty to watch. The will be talking about the proposed cuts to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency - a subject of much consternation, which Opposition parties are warning could turn into an aquatic version of the fiasco over regionalising the fire service. The will be tackling (tee-hee) the subject of football governance: witnesses include the former chairman of the FA, Lord Triesman. The will be looking at the vexed subject of student visas (having visited colleges in Brighton on Monday); the will be continuing its look at proposed cuts to legal aid and advice services and the will be discussing the counter-terrorism review. And that's just the highlights: Tuesday is a busy day for committee members.
On Wednesday, after PMQs, Tom Blenkinsop will introduce another Ten Minute Rule Motion on former metal mines. Then MPs will debate motions on the Police Grant and Local Government Finance Reports - this is normally a whinge-athon in which MP after MP rises to demand more dosh for their particular path. The Lords will be discussing the Parliamentary Voting Bill again - after oral questions; one of which will be about the Big Society. Will Lord Wei, David Cameron's Big Society guru, who recently announced he was spending more time on paid work, be there?
A good committee to watch should be the . Chair Margaret Hodge will be looking at departmental business plans - not a dry subject when the witnesses for examination include Oliver Letwin, Cabinet Office minister, and Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. It's very unusual for ministers rather than officials to be under the PAC microscope - but delivering the government's financial objectives is a huge and complicated task, so this could be a very revealing session. Another may be the s hearing on the performance of the MoD - especially after the Treasury claimed that it had lost control of its finances.
And on Thursday, after Energy and Climate Change Questions and the Business Statement, the backbench business motion will be relating to voting by prisoners. This debate was secured by the former Justice Secretary Jack Straw and the Conservative rebel for all seasons, David Davis - the objective is to "fire a warning shot" against the European Court of Human Rights, whose requirement that the UK concede some prisoner voting has infuriated MPs. Alas, one of the key figures behind the debate, the Conservative international law expert Dominic Raab, won't be present, because he has been unable to reschedule a hip operation.
The Lords will be discussing marriage and marriage support, the future of Nato and a report on radioactive waste management in a day of backbench debates.
And the will be looking at the Parliamentary Voting Bill. "Enough!" I hear you cry? But the committee will be talking to the Electoral Commission and all sorts of light might be shed on timetables, implications and potential traps in the referendum process.
And finally, Friday next week is another private members' bill day. Top of the list is Harriett Baldwin, whose Territorial Extent Bill will get its second reading.
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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