Skip to main content

Votes and Proceedings
Thursday 20 March 2025

Read the agenda for business in the House of Commons chamber, Westminster Hall and Commons Committees.

Find out more about the Votes and Proceedings

Contents

Chamber business

The House met at 9.30 am.

Prayers

1 Questions to (1) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(2) the Solicitor General

2Business Question (Leader of the House)

3Statement: Conflict in Gaza (Secretary David Lammy)

4Select Committee Statement (Standing Order No. 22D): Publication of the First Report from the Transport Committee, Access denied: rights versus reality in disabled people’s access to transport, HC 770 (Ruth Cadbury)

5Royal Assent

The Deputy Speaker reported that His Majesty had signified Royal Assent to the following Act under the Royal Assent Act 1967:

Finance Act 2025

6Backbench Business

(1) Knife crime amongst children and young people

Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered the matter of knife crime amongst children and young people.—(Ben Obese-Jecty.)

The Deputy Speaker announced a time limit on backbench speeches (Standing Order No. 47(1)).

Question agreed to.

(2) Coastal communities

Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered coastal communities.—(Steff Aquarone.)

The Deputy Speaker announced a time limit on backbench speeches (Standing Order No. 47(1)).

Question agreed to.

7Adjournment

Subject: Face-to-face GP appointments (Richard Tice)

Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Gen Kitchen.)

Adjourned at 5.23 pm until Monday 24 March.

Other Proceedings

Lords Messages

8Finance Bill

The Lords agree to the Finance Bill without amendment.

General Committees: Reports

9Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords] Committee

Gill Furniss (Chair) reported:

(1) written evidence submitted to the Committee; and

(2) the Bill, as amended.

Written evidence to be published.

Bill, as amended, to be considered on Monday 24 March; and to be printed (Bill 206).

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).

10Crime and Policing Bill Committee

Members: Mike Wood discharged and Joe Robertson nominated in substitution.

11Second Delegated Legislation Committee (Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure (HC 773) and Church Funds Investment Measure (HC 772))

Members: Chris Kane and Perran Moon discharged and Shaun Davies and Lillian Jones nominated in substitution.

12Third Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025)

Members: Leigh Ingham and Jon Pearce discharged and James Asser and Josh Newbury nominated in substitution.

13Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Town and Country Planning (Fees and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025 and draft Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment etc.) (England) Regulations 2025)

Members: Becky Gittins discharged and Joani Reid nominated in substitution.

14Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2025)

Members: Shaun Davies discharged and Perran Moon nominated in substitution.

Select Committees: Reports

15Backbench Business Committee 

Determination of business to be taken on Thursday 24 April in Westminster Hall (Bob Blackman).

16Business and Trade Committee

The work of the Department of Business and Trade: Written evidence, to be published (HC 450) (Liam Byrne).

17Public Accounts (Committee of)

(1) Use of AI in Government: Eighteenth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 356);

(2) Energy Bills Support:

(i) Nineteenth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 511);

(ii) Written evidence, to be published (HC 511);

(3) DCMS management of COVID-19 loans: Twentieth Report, to be printed, with the formal minutes relating to the Report (HC 364);

(4) Decommissioning Sellafield: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 363);

(5) DHSC Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24: Written evidence, to be published (HC 639)

(Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown).

Sir Lindsay Hoyle

Speaker

Westminster Hall

The sitting began at 1.30 pm.

Business determined by the Backbench Business Committee (Standing Orders No. 10(7) and No. 14(4))

1British Sign Language Week

Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered British Sign Language Week.—(Jen Craft.)

The Chair announced a time limit on backbench speeches (under the authority of the Chairman of Ways and Means and Standing Order No. 47(1)).

Resolved, That this House has considered British Sign Language Week.

The sitting was suspended between 2.56 pm and 3 pm.

2Government support for the tourism industry

Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for the tourism industry.—(Blake Stephenson.)

Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).

Adjourned at 4.27 pm until Monday 24 March.

Ms Nusrat Ghani

Chairman of Ways and Means

Papers Laid

Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution

1Damages

Draft Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Shabana Mahmood)

2Forensic Science Regulator

Forensic Science Regulator Draft Code of Practice 2025 (Version 2) (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)

Papers subject to Negative Resolution

3Ecclesiastical Law

Legal Officers (Annual Fees) Order 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 372), dated 12 February 2025 (by Measure) (Clerk of the House)

4Electronic Communications

Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2025 (SI, 2025, No. 368), dated 19 March 2025 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)

Other papers

5Foreign, Commonwealth and Development

The Antarctic Treaty: Measures adopted at the Forty-sixth Consultative Meeting held at Kochi 20–30 May 2024 (by Command) (CP 1287) (Secretary David Lammy)

6Government Annuities

Report and Accounts of the Government Annuities Investment Fund for the year ended 31 December 2024, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act), to be printed (HC 763) (Emma Reynolds)

7Home

Disclosure in the Digital Age: Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences (by Command) (CP 1285) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)

8Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Minute, dated 20 March 2025, concerning the notification of a contingent liability arising from the EWS1 Professional Indemnity Insurance Scheme (by Command) (Alex Norris)

9National Audit

Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on NHS England’s management of elective care transformation programmes (by Act), to be printed (HC 766) (Clerk of the House)

10Sovereign Grant

Sovereign Grant Act 2011: Report of the Royal Trustees on the Sovereign Grant 2025–26 (by Act) (The Chancellor of the Exchequer)

11Treasury

European Union Finances 2024: Statement on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement (by Command) (CP 1296) (Darren Jones)

12UK Borders

Report of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration: An inspection of the Home Office’s management of fee waiver applications: August–November 2024 (by Act) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)