Next week's business
Thanks to those who took a moment to comment on what I should put in my weekly parliamentary preview.
I can try to give some advance warning of forthcoming select committee reports - but it may be a while before most committees are publishing reports, because most of their inquiries are only just getting under way. I'm afraid it would be impossible for me to provide a comprehensive review of committee business - I just don't have the time. To date there are 15 Commons select committees scheduled for next week, mostly crammed into Tuesday and Wednesday - and I can't watch them all and analyse their conclusions, let along glean gossip and behind the scenes intrigue. My colleagues on Today in Parliament report the highlights, and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Parliament broadcasts the best action at weekends. I can only comment on the few I do manage to watch and investigate, I'm afraid.
Anyway, this is what's happening next week:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the Commons chamber are devoted to further committee stage consideration of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill - including the really touchy bit, as far as MPs are concerned: the plans for the wholesale redrawing of constituency boundaries.
But the mega-event of the week will undoubtedly be George Osborne's unveiling, on Wednesday, of the Spending Review (apparently, it's not a Comprehensive Spending Review, perhaps because that is a Brownism that has been abandoned in the coalition era, although Sir George Young apparently didn't get the memo in time for this week's Commons Business Statement). The Chancellor will set out how he plans to eliminate the deficit within four years - and indicate where his spending axe will fall.
As an appetiser, on Tuesday the prime minister will be unveiling the conclusions of the Strategic Defence and Security Review - which is a mega-event in its own right. The advance billing suggests this will be done in two parts - the first spelling out the "context" for the reshaping of the armed forces, which presumably means the estimate of the security threats to Britain - and the second the actual details of which nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, fighters etc will stay and which will go.
But it is extremely interesting that it is David Cameron who will make the statement, rather than the Defence Secretary Liam Fox - whose leaked letter warning that the review looked like a damaging cuts exercise rather than a strategic rethink is bound to be quoted extensively by opposition - and government - MPs. He will doubtless be sitting next to his boss, on the front bench, and will have to remain pretty impassive. The slightest frown will be taken as more evidence of a split.
Friday sees the first debates on private members' bills in this parliament - starting with Labour left-winger John McDonnell's Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill, which aims to stop strike ballots being ruled invalid by the courts, because of minor procedural errors.
Those big statements will be repeated in the Lords - and look out for the reaction to the SDSR from the phalanx of generals, admirals and top brass who sit in the upper House.
In the last parliament, they launched a sustained bombardment of the Labour government's defence policies - and they may prove to have equally strong views on the coalition's approach. Otherwise it's a pretty humdrum week in their Lordships' House, although Wednesday's debate on the economic and cultural benefits of immigration and Thursday's debate on special educational needs, look promising.
And there's a packed programme on the committee corridor where almost every session will boil down to an examination of the impact of spending cuts on some area of government activity.
Monday sees a report from the about the UK's national strategy (on defence and foreign policy issues). Judging by the evidence sessions, the committee may have to report that it has failed to detect any evidence that this elusive beast actually exists. (Most committees are some way from producing reports from their current inquiries - but since readers have asked, I'll do my best to trail any that I discover are about to appear.)
On Tuesday, the will be looking at how the new GP-led commissioning system will work in the NHS. The answer seems to be "nobody knows". The Department of Health insists it won't dictate a central solution and expects local approaches to evolve. With former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell in the chair, and NHS Chief Executive Sir David Nicholson giving evidence, this could be a highly informed and possibly painful occasion.
The will be talking to the Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk about the replacement of Regional Development Agencies with slimline new Local Enterprise Partnerships. The will hear the parting shot of the soon to be axed UK Film Council; the will ponder the impact of spending cuts on transport infrastructure and the will examine the effectiveness of the government's funding to develop renewable energy sources.
There will also be an entertaining-looking session at the Public Administration Committee - where ex-ministers Peter Lilley, Jeff Rooker and Chris Mullin will discuss what ministers actually do all day, and whether we need quite as many of them as we have at the moment.
The , meanwhile, will be looking into the commissioning of legal services and the issue of "advice deserts" where no solicitor is available for miles. But there may be problems because the Law Society is taking the Ministry of Justice to court over the way it awarded the latest round of contracts, so much of the subject matter could be considered sub judice unless Mr Speaker gives his dispensation to relax the Commons' normal rules.
On Wednesday, the considers the impact of the changes to housing benefit announced in the Budget, and the will look at the future of flood protection and water management, and the impact of spending cuts in that area.
It is noticeable that the arrival of Army officer-turned-diplomat Rory Stewart on the seems to have resulted in some unexpected but highly informed and vocal expert witnesses in their inquiry into Afghanistan and Pakistan. Expect more at their next hearing on Wednesday.
Justice Committee members will have something to crow about on Thursday when their report from the last parliament on Justice Reinvestment will be debated in Westminster Hall, the Commons' parallel chamber. The idea of Justice Reinvestment is to divert money from prisons and punishment to forestalling crime - an approach they say has now been picked up by the coalition's Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.
And the new will be hearing from Conservative negotiator Oliver Letwin about the formation of the coalition - following on from their earlier sessions with the Lib Dems' David Laws and Labour's Lord Adonis.
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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