Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 2.30 pm.
Prayers
Genevieve Victoria Kitchen, Member for Wellingborough, made the Affirmation required by law.
Damien James Egan, Member for Kingswood, was sworn.
2Taking of the Oath or making of the Affirmation
A Member present took the Oath.
3Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence
4Urgent Question: UK economy (Bim Afolami)
5Statements (1) Post Office governance and Horizon compensation schemes (Secretary Kemi Badenoch)
(2) Death of Alexei Navalny (Leo Docherty)
(3) Anti-Semitism in the UK (Chris Philp)
6Family Visas (Minimum Income) Bill: Presentation (Standing Order No. 57)
Mr Alistair Carmichael presented a Bill to prohibit any increase in the minimum income requirement for family visas; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 21 June, and to be printed (Bill 165).
7Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [Lords]: Second Reading
Bill read a second time.
8Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [Lords]: Programme
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [Lords]:
Committal
(1) The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.
Proceedings in Public Bill Committee
(2) Proceedings in the Public Bill Committee shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion on Tuesday 12 March 2024.
(3) The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it meets.
Consideration and Third Reading
(4) Proceedings on Consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which those proceedings are commenced.
(5) Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.
(6) Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to proceedings on Consideration and Third Reading.
Other proceedings
(7) Any other proceedings on the Bill may be programmed.—(Mark Fletcher.)
Question agreed to.
9Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [Lords]: Money
King’s Recommendation signified.
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 52(1)(a)), That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill [Lords], it is expedient to authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of:
(a) any expenditure incurred under or by virtue of the Act by the Secretary of State or a government department, and
(b) any increase attributable to the Act in the sums payable under or by virtue of any other Act out of money so provided.—(Mark Fletcher.)
Question agreed to.
10Statutory Instruments: Motions for approval
(1) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft East Midlands Combined County Authority Regulations 2024, which were laid before this House on 18 December 2023, be approved.—(Mark Fletcher.)
Question agreed to.
(2) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Social Security (Contributions) (Limits and Thresholds, National Insurance Funds Payments and Extension of Veterans Relief) Regulations 2024, which were laid before this House on 15 January, be approved.—(Mark Fletcher.)
Question agreed to.
(3) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Tax Credits, Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance Up-rating Regulations 2024, which were laid before this House on 15 January, be approved.—(Mark Fletcher.)
Question agreed to.
A public petition from residents of the constituency of Blackpool South relating to Blackpool's Waterloo Road and Bond Street region was presented and read by Scott Benton.
Subject: Infrastructure procurement (Alan Brown)
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—(Mark Fletcher.)
At 10 pm, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 9(3)).
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Joy Morrissey.)
Adjourned at 10.22 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
Explanatory Notes to Bills
13Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 21–EN).
14Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 23–EN).
15Space Industry (Indemnities) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 28–EN).
16Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 31–EN).
17Community and Suspended Sentences (Notification of Details) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 34–EN).
18Children Not in School (Registers, Support and Orders) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 50–EN).
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 55–EN).
20Local Government (Pay Accountability) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 57–EN).
21Courts (Remote Hearings) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 59–EN).
22Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill
Explanatory Notes to the Bill to be printed (Bill 160–EN).
Changes to Notices Given
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 22 March.
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 1 March.
25Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 1 March.
26Devolution (Employment) (Scotland) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 1 March.
27Social Security Benefits (Healthy Eating) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 1 March.
28Universal Credit Sanctions (Zero Hours Contracts) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 1 March.
29Affordable Housing (Conversion of Commercial Property) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 19 April.
30Veterans (Non-custodial Sentences) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
31Nuclear Veterans (Compensation) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
32Miners’ Strike (Pardons) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 23 February, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
General Committees: Reports
33First Delegated Legislation Committee
Sir Edward Leigh (Chair) reported the draft Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, the draft Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Specified Diseases and Prescribed Occupations) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and the draft Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
General Committees: Appointments
The Speaker appoints the Chair of General Committees and members of Programming Sub-Committees, and allocates Statutory Instruments to Delegated Legislation Committees.
The Committee of Selection nominates Members to serve on General Committees (and certain Members to serve on Grand Committees).
34Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords] (Programming Sub-Committee)
Members: Samantha Dixon, Greg Hands, Anthony Mangnall, Alexander Stafford, Gareth Thomas, Richard Thomson and Mike Wood
35First Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, draft Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Specified Diseases and Prescribed Occupations) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and draft Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2024)
Members: Elliot Colburn and Mr Louie French discharged and George Freeman and Daniel Kawczynski nominated in substitution.
36Second Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Bank of England Levy (Amount of Levy Payable) Regulations 2024)
Members: Sir Greg Knight discharged and Sir Robert Syms nominated in substitution.
37Third Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (Pension Scheme Amendment) Regulations 2024)
Members: Dr Alan Whitehead discharged and Kerry McCarthy nominated in substitution.
Select Committees: Reports relating to orders for printing made during the adjournment under Standing Order No. 137
Friday 9 February
38Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Football governance follow-up: Written evidence, to be published (HC 471) (Clerk of the House).
Tuesday 13 February
Correspondence from the Minister for Biosecurity, Animal Health and Welfare relating to overdue Government responses from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written evidence, to be published (Clerk of the House).
Select Committees: Reports made on Monday 19 February
Record of the Committee’s discussions at its meeting on 19 February, to be published (Sir Charles Walker).
41Health and Social Care Committee
(1) Pharmacy: Oral evidence and written evidence, to be published (HC 140);
(2) Correspondence from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives relating to the Right Care Right Person National Partnership Agreement: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence from the Food Standards Agency: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence from the Permanent Secretary relating to the Spring 2024 vaccine contingent liabilities: Written evidence, to be published
(Steve Brine).
42Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee
(1) The Office for Local Government: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 64);
(2) Correspondence from Paul Morrell OBE relating to the Construction Product Testing Review: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence from the Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety relating to the long-term plan for housing: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Correspondence from the Permanent Secretary relating to Departmental Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24: Written evidence, to be published (HC 528);
(6) Correspondence with the Minister for Local Government: Written evidence, to be published;
(7) Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to the move-on period for asylum seekers: Written evidence, to be published;
(8) Shared Ownership: Written evidence, to be published (HC 61)
(Mr Clive Betts).
43Public Accounts (Committee of)
(1) Managing government borrowing: Fifteenth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 74);
(2) NAO Main Estimate 2024–25: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 510);
(3) The BBC’s implementation of Across the UK: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 426);
(4) Correspondence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities relating to the local audit consultation: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Correspondence relating to the Committee’s previous Reports: Written evidence, to be published;
(6) Correspondence with the National Audit Office relating to the Government compensation and financial redress schemes: Written evidence, to be published;
(7) NHS Supply Chain and efficiencies in procurement: Written evidence, to be published (HC 453);
(8) Reforming adult social care in England: Written evidence, to be published (HC 427)
(Dame Meg Hillier).
Intergovernmental relations: 25 years since the Scotland Act 1998: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 149) (Pete Wishart).
Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 4.30 pm.
Debate on e-petitions (Standing Orders No. 10(1)(a) and No. 145A(7))
1Animal testing and non-animal research methods
Resolved, That this House has considered e-petitions 633591 and 645885 relating to animal testing and non-animal research methods.—(Elliot Colburn.)
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 5.56 pm until tomorrow.
Eleanor Laing
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers presented and delivered to the Votes and Proceedings Office on the undermentioned dates during the adjournment under Standing Orders No. 158 and No. 159:
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Tuesday 13 February
Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 141), dated 13 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Lee Rowley)
2Universities of Oxford and Cambridge
Statute, dated 17 October 2023, made by the Governing Body of the University of Oxford, revising the existing Statutes of the University (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Gillian Keegan)
Thursday 15 February
Road Vehicles (Type-Approval) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 146), dated 13 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Mark Harper)
4Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Supreme Court Fees Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 148), dated 13 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Alex Chalk)
Other papers
Friday 9 February
5Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Government Response to the Report of the House of Lords Horticultural Sector Committee (by Command) (CP 996) (Secretary Steve Barclay)
Monday 12 February
Explanatory Memorandum to the Pension Protection Fund and Occupational Pension Schemes (Levy Ceiling) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 101) (by Command) (Paul Maynard)
Tuesday 13 February
Convention, done at London on 17 May 2023, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of San Marino for the Elimination of Double Taxation with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance (by Command) (CP 1025) (David Rutley)
Thursday 15 February
Treasury Minutes on Government Response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Eightieth Report from Session 2022–23 and the First to the Sixth Reports from Session 2023–24 (by Command) (CP 1029) (Gareth Davies)
Withdrawn papers
Monday 12 February
Explanatory Memorandum to the Pension Protection Fund and Occupational Pension Schemes (Levy Ceiling) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 101) (laid 1 February)
Papers presented or laid upon the Table on Monday 19 February
Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution
Draft Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Financial Penalty) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Kemi Badenoch)
Draft Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information and Audit Committees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Jacob Young)
Draft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Simon Hoare)
13Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation)
Draft Code of Practice on Dismissal and Re-Engagement (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Kemi Badenoch)
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 150), dated 14 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum and a Policy Equality Statement (by Command) (Secretary Lucy Frazer)
(1) Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 155), dated 14 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Kevin Hollinrake)
(2) Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Register of Overseas Entities) Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 153), dated 14 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Kevin Hollinrake)
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (by Act), to be printed (HC 556), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary James Cleverly)
Protocol, done at Auckland and Bandar Seri Begawan on 16 July 2023, on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (by Command) (CP 1017) with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Act) (David Rutley)
Agreement No. 3, done at London and Kyiv on 8 February, in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine amending the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine (by Command) (CP 1031), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Act) (David Rutley)
Other papers
Government Response to the Report from the House of Lords Select Committee on AI in Weapon Systems (by Command) (CP 1023) (Secretary Grant Shapps)
Government Response to the Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Education for 11–16 Year Olds (by Command) (CP 1026) (Damian Hinds)
Report and Accounts of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries for 2022–23, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 537) (Stuart Andrew)
Report and Accounts of the English Sports Council Grant-in-Aid and National Lottery Distribution Fund for 2022–23, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 450) (Stuart Andrew)
Withdrawn papers
Draft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024, with an Explanatory Memorandum (laid 8 February)
SPEAKER’S CERTIFICATES
VOTING BY PROXY
|
Member |
From |
To |
Proxy |
|
Tommy Sheppard |
19 February 2024 |
26 March 2024 |
Owen Thompson |
|
Naz Shah |
20 February 2024 |
25 March 2024 |
Dawn Butler |
CORRECTION
Thursday 8 February
This item should have appeared after item 6 (General Committee: Appointments):
Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords]
Chairs: Philip Davies and Dr Rupa Huq