Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 11.30 am.
Prayers
1Questions to (1) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
(2) the Prime Minister
2Urgent Questions: (1) Backlogs at HM Passport Office (Kevin Foster)
(2) Channel 4 privatisation (Julia Lopez)
3Import of Products of Forced Labour from Xinjiang (Prohibition): Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)
Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to prohibit the import of products made by forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; to require all companies importing products from Xinjiang to the UK to provide proof that the manufacture of those products has not involved forced labour; and for connected purposes;
That Brendan O'Hara, Ms Nusrat Ghani, Rushanara Ali, Patricia Gibson, Jim Shannon, Debbie Abrahams, Mr Alistair Carmichael, Chris Law, Fiona Bruce, Patrick Grady, Liz Saville Roberts, and Siobhain McDonagh present the Bill.
Brendan O'Hara accordingly presented the Bill.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 6 May, and to be printed (Bill 309).
4Elections Bill: Programme (No. 2)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Elections Bill for the purpose of supplementing the Order of 7 September 2021 (Elections Bill (Programme)):
Consideration of Lords Amendments
(1) Proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion two hours after their commencement.
(2) That the Lords Amendments be considered in the following order, namely: 22, 23, 86, 1 to 21, 24 to 85, 87 to 126.
Subsequent stages
(3) Any further Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put.
(4) Proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.—(David T C Davies.)
Question agreed to.
5Elections Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments
Motion made and Question put, That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 22.—(Kemi Badenoch.)
The House divided.
Division No. 268
Ayes: 306 (Tellers: Michael Tomlinson, Amanda Solloway)
Noes: 215 (Tellers: Lilian Greenwood, Gerald Jones)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 22 accordingly disagreed to.
Amendments (a) to (i) made to the words restored to the Bill by disagreement to Lords Amendment 22.
Motion made and Question put, That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 23.—(Kemi Badenoch.)
The House divided.
Division No. 269
Ayes: 306 (Tellers: Michael Tomlinson, Amanda Solloway)
Noes: 213 (Tellers: Lilian Greenwood, Gerald Jones)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 23 accordingly disagreed to.
Amendments (a) to (k) made in lieu of Lords Amendments 22 and 23.
Motion made and Question put, That this House disagrees with the Lords in their Amendment 86.—(Kemi Badenoch.)
The House divided.
Division No. 270
Ayes: 306 (Tellers: Michael Tomlinson, Amanda Solloway)
Noes: 213 (Tellers: Lilian Greenwood, Gerald Jones)
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendment 86 accordingly disagreed to.
As it was more than two hours after the commencement of proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments, the Deputy Speaker put the Question necessary to bring proceedings on the Lords Amendments to a conclusion (Programme Order, Today).
The following Question was put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83F).
That this House agrees with the Lords in their Amendments 1 to 21, 24 to 85, and 87 to 126 (Single Question to agree with all remaining Lords Amendments).
Question agreed to.
Lords Amendments 1 to 21, 24 to 85, and 87 to 126 accordingly agreed to.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83H(2)), That a Committee be appointed to draw up Reasons to be assigned to the Lords for disagreeing to their Amendment 86 to the Elections Bill.
That Kemi Badenoch, Duncan Baker, Miss Sarah Dines, Coleen Fletcher, Alex Norris, Brendan O’Hara and Jacob Young be members of the Committee.
That Kemi Badenoch be the Chair of the Committee.
That three be the quorum of the Committee.
That the Committee do withdraw immediately.—(Michael Tomlinson.)
Question agreed to.
6Statutory Instruments: Motions for Approval
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2022, which was laid before this House on 16 March, be approved.—(Michael Tomlinson.)
Question agreed to.
7Elections Bill: Reasons Committee
Kemi Badenoch reported that the Committee had agreed the following Reason:
Lords Amendment 86
Because the Commons consider the requirement to provide adequate photographic identification to be the most effective means of securing the integrity of the electoral system.
The Reason was agreed to.
The Deputy Speaker suspended the sitting until 8.51 pm (Order, 26 April).
(1) A public petition from residents of Blaydon relating to Derwent Walk was presented and read by Liz Twist.
(2) A public petition from residents of the United Kingdom relating to step-free access for Chinley Station was presented and read by Robert Largan.
Subject: Cotswold District Council and funding for solar farms (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Scott Mann.)
Adjourned at 9.21 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
Lords Messages
The Lords do not insist on their Amendment to the Building Safety Bill to which the Commons have disagreed; and they agree to the Amendments proposed by the Commons.
The Lords do not insist on their Amendments to the Health and Care Bill to which the Commons have disagreed; they agree to Amendments in lieu proposed by the Commons; and they do not insist on their disagreement with the Commons in their Amendments in lieu.
13Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
The Lords do not insist on their Amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to which the Commons have disagreed; they do not insist on their disagreement with the Commons in their Amendments; and they agree to Amendments proposed by the Commons.
The Lords agree to the Glue Traps (Offences) Bill without amendment.
15Approved Premises (Substance Testing) Bill
The Lords agree to the Approved Premises (Substance Testing) Bill without amendment.
16Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill
The Lords agree to the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill without amendment.
17Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill
The Lords agree to the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill without amendment.
18Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
The Lords agree to the Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill without amendment.
The Lords agree to the British Sign Language Bill without amendment.
20Judicial Review and Courts Bill
The Lords do not insist on their Amendments to the Judicial Review and Courts Bill to which the Commons have disagreed; and they agree to the Amendment to the words restored to the Bill proposed by the Commons.
21Nationality and Borders Bill
The Lords do not insist on their Amendments to the Nationality and Borders Bill to which the Commons have disagreed.
The Lords do not insist on their Amendments to the Elections Bill and they agree to the Amendments proposed by the Commons.
General Committees: Reports
23Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee
Mr Laurence Robertson (Chair) reported the Draft Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2022.
Reports from Select Committees
The future of post-16 qualifications: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 902) (Robert Halfon).
25Environmental Audit Committee
(1) Technological innovations and climate change: Green steel: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1093);
(2) Sustainability of the built environment: Written evidence, to be published (HC 76);
(3) Technological innovations and climate change: Negative emissions technologies: Written evidence, to be published (HC 738)
(Philip Dunne).
(1) Police conduct and complaints: Government Response to the Committee’s Sixth Report: Fourth Special Report, to be printed (HC 1264);
(2) Drugs: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1128);
(3) Home Office policy on Ukrainian refugees: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1193);
(4) The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on: Written evidence, to be published (HC 139);
(5) Violence against women and girls: Written evidence, to be published (HC 138)
(Dame Diana Johnson).
27International Trade Committee
(1) The work of the Department for International Trade: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 128);
(2) UK trade negotiations: Agreement with New Zealand: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1002)
(Angus Brendan MacNeil).
(1) The future of Legal Aid: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 70);
(2) Correspondence from the Secretary of State relating to terrorism in prisons: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Fraud and the Justice System: Written evidence, to be published (HC 961);
(4) Open justice: Court reporting in the digital age: Written evidence, to be published (HC 596)
(Sir Robert Neill).
29Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee
(1) Exempt Accommodation: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 35);
(2) Correspondence with the British Standards Institution relating to PAS9980 on fire safety remediation: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with the Local Government Association relating to support for Ukrainian refugees: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy relating to the Committee’s Eighth Report of Session 2017–19: Planning guidance on fracking: Written evidence, to be published
(Mr Clive Betts).
30Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
(1) Levelling Up and Northern Ireland: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1228);
(2) Tourism and the Common Travel Area: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1242)
(Simon Hoare).
31Public Accounts (Committee of)
(1) Ministry of Defence Equipment Plan 2021–31: Fifty-second Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 1164);
(2) British Steel Pension Scheme: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1216);
(3) Future of the Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1050)
(Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).
32Science and Technology Committee
(1) Diversity and inclusion in STEM: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 903);
(2) The work of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1205);
(3) UK science, research and technology capability and influence in global disease outbreaks: Written evidence, to be published (HC 93)
(Greg Clark).
33Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee on)
Thirty-first Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 56-xxxi) (Jessica Morden).
34Statutory Instruments (Select Committee on)
Nineteenth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 57-xix) (Jessica Morden).
Work of the Secretary of State for Transport: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 926) (Huw Merriman).
(1) HM Treasury’s role in combating fraud: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1156);
(2) Future of financial services: Written evidence, to be published (HC 147)
(Mel Stride).
Grid capacity in Wales: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1092) (Stephen Crabb).
38Women and Equalities Committee
Equality and the UK asylum process: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 726) (Caroline Nokes).
(1) Protecting pension savers—five years on from the Pension Freedoms: Accessing pension savings: Government and the Financial Conduct Authority’s responses to the Committee’s Fifth Report of session 2021-22: Seventh Special Report, to be printed (HC 1270);
(2) Protecting pension savers—five years on from the pension freedoms: Saving for later life: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 989);
(3) Correspondence from the Equality and Human Rights Commission relating to reasonable adjustments for disabled people: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury relating to tax charges: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Correspondence with the Minister for Pensions and Financial Exclusion relating to the payment of arrears to members of the Financial Assistance Scheme: Written evidence, to be published;
(6) Correspondence with the Pensions Regulator relating to Norton pension schemes: Written evidence, to be published;
(7) Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to Universal Credit managed migration: Written evidence, to be published;
(8) The cost of living: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1058);
(9) Universal Credit and childcare costs: Written evidence, to be published (HC 871)
(Stephen Timms).
Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 9.30 am.
Business appointed by the Chairman of Ways and Means (Standing Order No. 10(6))
1Derby’s bid to host the headquarters of Great British Railways
Resolved, That this House has considered Derby’s bid to host the headquarters of Great British Railways.—(Mrs Pauline Latham.)
The sitting was suspended between 10.30 am and 11.00 am.
2County Durham’s bid to become the UK’s City of Culture 2025
Resolved, That this House has considered County Durham’s bid to become the UK’s City of Culture 2025.—(Paul Howell.)
The sitting was suspended between 11.29 am and 2.30 pm (Standing Order No. 10(1)(b)).
3Availability of affordable housing in Devon and Cornwall
Resolved, That this House has considered the availability of affordable housing in Devon and Cornwall.—(Selaine Saxby.)
The sitting was suspended between 3.47 pm and 4.00 pm.
4International Thalassaemia Day 2022
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered International Thalassaemia Day 2022.—(Bambos Charalambous.)
The sitting was suspended between 4.11 pm and 4.48 pm for divisions in the House (Standing Order No. 10(3)).
Resolved, That this House has considered International Thalassaemia Day 2022.
5Potential merits of a public transport authority for South Yorkshire
Resolved, That this House has considered the potential merits of a public transport authority for South Yorkshire.—(Alexander Stafford.)
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 5.50 pm until tomorrow.
Eleanor Laing
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution
Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2022 (SI, 2022, No. 477), dated 27 April 2022 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Elizabeth Truss)
Other papers
2Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minute, dated 27 April 2022, concerning a contingent liability notification in respect of Energy Supply Company Special Administration Regime: Bulb Energy Limited (by Command) (Greg Hands)
Adult Social Care and Immigration: A Report from the Migration Advisory Committee (by Command) (CP 665) (Secretary Priti Patel)
Tackling Terrorism in Prisons: Government response to the Report of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (by Command) (CP 652) (Secretary Dominic Raab)
Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Ministry of Justice: Children in custody: secure training centres and secure schools (by Act), to be printed (HC 1257) (Clerk of the House)
Report and Accounts of the NHS Business Services Authority for 2019–20, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 1256) (Edward Argar)
(1) Annual Report of the Forensic Information Databases Strategy Board (by Act) (Secretary Priti Patel)
(2) Forensic Information Databases Strategy Board: Revised Governance Rules (by Act) (Secretary Priti Patel)
8Political Parties, Elections and Referendums
First Report in 2022 from the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, on the Work of the Committee in 2021–22 (by Act), to be printed (HC 1274) (The Speaker)
Report of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation on Terrorism in Prisons (by Act) (Secretary Dominic Raab)
CORRECTION
Tuesday 26 April
This item should have appeared after item 30 (Other Proceedings) Health and Social Care Committee
(1) The impact of body image on mental and physical health: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 891);
(2) Children and young people’s mental health: Written evidence, to be published (HC 17);
(3) Correspondence with the Secretary of State of State relating to the Getting it Right First Time Campaign: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care: Written evidence, to be published (HC 893)
(Jeremy Hunt).