Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 2.30 pm.
Prayers
1Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
2Urgent Question: AstraZeneca (Chris Bryant)
3Statement: School accountability and intervention (Catherine McKinnell)
4Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Second Reading
Motion made and Question put, That the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill be now read a second time.
The House divided.
Division No. 96
Ayes: 343 (Tellers: Martin McCluskey, Taiwo Owatemi)
Noes: 87 (Tellers: Wendy Chamberlain, Susan Murray)
Question agreed to and Bill read a second time.
5Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: Programme
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill:
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 Thursday 20 March 2025.
(3) The Public Bill Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it meets.
Proceedings on 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 proceedings on Consideration 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.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
6Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill: 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 Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, 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 a Minister of the Crown, a person holding office under His Majesty 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.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
7Statutory Instruments: Motions for Approval
(1) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, which were laid before this House on 10 December 2024, be approved.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
(2) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Gambling Levy Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 12 December 2024, be approved.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
(3) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 6 December 2024, be approved.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
(4) Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025, which were laid before this House on 3 December 2024, be approved.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Question agreed to.
8Adjournment (February, Easter, May Day and Whitsun)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 25), That this House, at its rising on Thursday 13 February, do adjourn until Monday 24 February; at its rising on Tuesday 8 April, do adjourn until Tuesday 22 April; at its rising on Thursday 1 May, do adjourn until Tuesday 6 May; and at its rising on Thursday 22 May, do adjourn until Monday 2 June.—(Chris Elmore.)
Question agreed to.
Subject: Energy development proposals in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency (Greg Smith)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Taiwo Owatemi.)
Adjourned at 9.45 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
General Committees: Reports
10First Delegated Legislation Committee
Sir Desmond Swayne (Chair) reported the draft Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
11Second Delegated Legislation Committee
Gill Furniss (Chair) reported the draft Space Industry (Licence Exemption for Military Activities of Allies) Regulations 2025.
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).
12First Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024)
Members: Alex Baker discharged and Mr Calvin Bailey nominated in substitution.
13Second Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Space Industry (Licence Exemption for Military Activities of Allies) Regulations 2025)
Members: Mr Peter Bedford and Rachel Hopkins discharged and Lewis Cocking and Sarah Coombes nominated in substitution.
14Third Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Online Safety Act 2023 (Category 1, Category 2A and Category 2B Threshold Conditions) Regulations 2025)
Members: Bambos Charalambous and Leigh Ingham discharged and Gurinder Singh Josan and Laurence Turner nominated in substitution.
15Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Procurement Act 2023 (Consequential and Other Amendments) Regulations 2025)
Members: Satvir Kaur discharged and Melanie Ward nominated in substitution.
Select Committees: Reports
16Public Accounts (Committee of)
(1) The remediation of dangerous cladding: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 362);
(2) Correspondence from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business and Trade relating to the Business and Trade Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office relating to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recover) Bill: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence relating to the Committee’s previous Reports: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Department for Work and Pensions Customer Service and Accounts 2023–24: Written evidence, to be published (HC 354);
(6) HS2: Update following northern leg cancellation: Written evidence, to be published (HC 357);
(7) Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children: Written evidence, to be published (HC 365);
(8) NHS financial sustainability: Written evidence, to be published (HC 350)
(Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).
Sir 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))
1Career breaks for parents of seriously ill children
Resolved, That this House has considered e-petition 638449 relating to career breaks for parents of seriously ill children.—(Robbie Moore.)
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 5.43 pm until tomorrow.
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers presented and delivered to the Votes and Proceedings Office on Friday 31 January under Standing Orders No. 158 and No. 159
Other papers
1Science, Innovation and Technology
(1) Cyber Governance Code of Practice: Government Response to the Call for Views (by Command) (CP 1260) (Secretary Peter Kyle)
(2) Government Response to the Call for Views on the Cyber Security of AI (by Command) (CP 1258) (Secretary Peter Kyle)
Papers presented or laid upon the Table on Monday 3 February
Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution
(1) Draft Double Taxation Relief (Russian Federation) (Revocation) Order 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (James Murray)
(2) Draft Double Taxation Relief and International Tax Enforcement (Belarus) (Revocation) Order 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (James Murray)
(1) The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2025–26 (by Act), to be printed (HC 623) (Secretary Angela Rayner)
(2) The Referendums relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) (England) Report 2025–26 (by Act), to be printed (HC 624) (Secretary Angela Rayner)
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
Pension Protection Fund and Occupational Pension Schemes (Levy Ceiling) Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 103), dated 30 January 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Torsten Bell)
5Senior Courts of England and Wales
Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 106), dated 30 January 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)
Other papers
6Budget Responsibility and National Audit
Estimates for which a Vote on Account is required for the National Audit Office for 2025–26 (by Act), to be printed (HC 605) (Clerk of the House)
Report and Accounts of the Independent Office for Police Conduct for 2023–24, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 707) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)
Explanatory Memorandum to the Fixed Penalty Offences Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 68) (by Command) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)
Withdrawn papers
Explanatory Memorandum to the Fixed Penalty Offences Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 68) (laid 27 January)
RECESS ELECTIONS ACT 1975
The Speaker has appointed the following Members for the issuing of Warrants to the Clerk of the Crown, pursuant to section 4 of the Recess Elections Act 1975:
Ms Nusrat Ghani,
Judith Cummins,
Caroline Nokes,
Graham Stringer, and
Sir Roger Gale.