Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 2.30 pm.
Prayers
1Questions to the Home Secretary
2Speaker's Statement: SO No. 24 emergency debate application
3Statements: (1) Situation in the Red Sea (Secretary Grant Shapps)
(2) Post Office Horizon compensation and legislation (Kevin Hollinrake)
4Business of the House (Today)
Ordered, That at this day's sitting, the Speaker shall put the Questions necessary to dispose of proceedings on the Motion in the name of the Prime Minister relating to Northern Ireland not later than three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion for this Order; such Questions shall include the Questions on any Amendments selected by the Speaker which may then be moved; proceedings on that Motion may continue, though opposed, after the moment of interruption; and Standing Order No. 41A (Deferred divisions) shall not apply.—(Mr Steve Baker.)
Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty welcoming the return of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, re-affirming the importance of upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 in all its strands, acknowledging the foundational importance of the Acts of Union 1800, including the economic provisions under Article 6 of those Acts, and recognising that, consistent with section 23(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, executive power in Northern Ireland shall continue to be vested in His Majesty, and that joint authority is not provided for in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 in respect of the UK and Irish Governments.—(Mr Steve Baker.)
Address to be presented to His Majesty by such Members of the House as are of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council or of His Majesty's Household.
Subject: Access to social media in prisons (Paul Howell)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Mike Wood.)
Adjourned at 9.09 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
Changes to Notices Given
7Deductions from Universal Credit (Report) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
8Evictions (Universal Credit) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
10Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
11Devolution (Employment) (Scotland) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
12Social Security Benefits (Healthy Eating) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
13Universal Credit Sanctions (Zero Hours Contracts) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 15 March.
14Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill
Order for Consideration of Bill, not amended in the Public Bill Committee, on Friday 1 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be considered on Friday 19 April.
General Committees: Reports
15First Delegated Legislation Committee
Sir Graham Brady (Chair) reported the draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024.
16Second Delegated Legislation Committee
Mrs Sheryll Murray (Chair) reported the draft Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2024, the draft Service Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024, the draft Principal Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024 and the draft Registered Office Address (Rectification of Register) 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).
17First Delegated Legislation Committee (draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024)
Members: Jo Gideon, Jonathan Gullis and James Sunderland discharged and Andrew Jones, Joy Morrissey and Dr Kieran Mullan nominated in substitution.
18Second Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2024, draft Service Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024, draft Principal Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024 and draft Registered Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024)
Members: David Morris, Jill Mortimer and Andrew Selous discharged and Peter Gibson, Joy Morrissey and Mrs Heather Wheeler nominated in substitution.
Select Committees: Reports
Record of the Committee’s discussions at its meeting on 26 February, to be published (Sir Charles Walker).
20Business and Trade Committee
Post Office and Horizon – Compensation: follow-up: Written evidence, to be published (HC 477) (Liam Byrne).
21Environmental Audit Committee
The UK and the Antarctic environment: Oral evidence, taken before the Sub-Committee on Polar Research, to be published (HC 381) (James Gray).
The UK Government’s engagement regarding the British Indian Ocean Territory: Written evidence received by the Sub-Committee on the Overseas Territories, to be published (HC 598) (Alicia Kearns).
23Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee
(1) Children, young people and the built environment: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 94);
(2) Correspondence with the Minister for Local Government: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Disabled people in the housing sector: Written evidence, to be published (HC 63);
(4) Fire safety: Written evidence, to be published (HC 62);
(5) Shared ownership: Written evidence, to be published (HC 61)
(Mr Clive Betts).
24National Security Strategy (Joint Committee on)
(1) A hostage to fortune: ransomware and UK national security: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report: Second Special Report, to be printed (HC 601);
(2) Economic security: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 538)
(Dame Margaret Beckett).
25Public Accounts (Committee of)
(1) Excess votes 2022–23: Eighteenth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 589);
(2) Investigation into student loans issued to those studying at franchised higher education providers: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 455);
(3) Civil Service workforce: Recruitment, pay and performance management: Written evidence, to be published (HC 452);
(4) Correspondence from the Department for Health and Social Care relating to COVID-19 Contingent Liabilities: Spring 2024: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Correspondence relating to the Committee’s previous Reports: Written evidence, to be published;
(6) NAO Main Estimate 2024–25: Written evidence, to be published (HC 510);
(7) NHS Supply Chain and efficiencies in procurement: Written evidence, to be published (HC 453)
(Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).
Science and Scotland: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 151) (Pete Wishart).
Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 4.30 pm.
Debate on an e-petition (Standing Orders No. 10(1)(a) and No. 145A(7))
1Financial risk checks for gambling
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered e-petition 649894 relating to financial risk checks for gambling.—(Christina Rees.)
At 7.30 pm, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 7.30 pm until tomorrow.
Eleanor Laing
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution
1Financial Services and Markets
Draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Disapplication or Modification of Financial Regulator Rules in Individual Cases) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Bim Afolami)
Draft Major Sporting Events (Income Tax Exemption) (2024 UEFA Champions League Final) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Nigel Huddleston)
Draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Funding and Investment Strategy and Amendment) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum and an Impact Assessment (by Command) (Paul Maynard)
Draft Official Controls (Fees and Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Steve Barclay)
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Electricity (Individual Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (Slough Multifuel) (England) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 195), dated 22 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Claire Coutinho)
Convention, done at Tokyo on 14 December 2023, on the Establishment of the 'Global Combat Air Programme – GCAP International Government Organisation' (by Command) (CP 1011), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Act) (David Rutley)
Other papers
7Levelling-up and Regeneration
(1) Analysis of Geographical Disparities (by Act) (Secretary Michael Gove)
(2) Levelling Up Missions: The Role of the Devolved Legislatures and Devolved Administrations in Connection with the Missions (by Act) (Secretary Michael Gove)
Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Department for Work and Pensions: Progress in implementing Universal Credit for 2023–24 (by Act), to be printed (HC 552) (Clerk of the House)
9Terms and Conditions of Employment
Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 213), dated 22 February 2024 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Kevin Hollinrake)
Withdrawn papers
Draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Funding and Investment Strategy and Amendment) Regulations 2024, with an Explanatory Memorandum (laid 29 January)