The House met at half-past Ten o'clock.

1    Education and Skills Bill,—Hugh Bayley reported certain Memoranda from the Education and Skills Bill Committee.

Memoranda to lie upon the Table and to be published.

2    Health and Social Care Bill,—Derek Conway reported from the Health and Social Care Bill Committee:

(1) certain Memoranda; and

(2) That it had gone through the Bill and made Amendments thereunto.

Memoranda (reported on 8th, 10th, 15th, 17th and 22nd January) to be printed.

Bill, as amended in the Public Bill Committee, to be considered to-morrow; and to be printed [Bill 52].

Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee to lie upon the Table.

3     Pensions Bill,—Sir Nicholas Winterton reported a Memorandum from the Pensions Bill Committee.

Memorandum to lie upon the Table and to be published.

4    Counter-Terrorism Bill,—Secretary Jacqui Smith, supported by, the Prime Minister, Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary David Miliband, Secretary Jack Straw, Mr Secretary Hutton, Secretary Ruth Kelly, Mr Secretary Woodward and Mr Tony McNulty presented a Bill to confer further powers to gather and share information for counter-terrorism and other purposes; to make further provision about the detention and questioning of terrorist suspects and the prosecution and punishment of terrorist offences; to impose notification requirements on persons convicted of such offences; to amend the law relating to asset freezing proceedings under United Nations terrorism orders; to amend the law relating to inquests and inquiries; to amend the definition of 'terrorism'; to amend the enactments relating to terrorist offences, control orders and the forfeiture of terrorist cash; to provide for recovering the costs of policing at certain gas facilities; to amend provisions about the appointment of special advocates in Northern Ireland; and for connected purposes: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow and to be printed [Bill 63].

Ordered, That the Explanatory Notes relating to the Counter-Terrorism Bill be printed [Bill 63-EN].

5    Members' Salaries (Expression of Opinion),—Resolved, That, in the opinion of this House, the system for determining the salaries of Members of Parliament should be reviewed, in particular with a view to removing the need for final decisions on salaries to be subject to approval by this House; and that—

(1) the yearly rate for salaries of Members of this House, including the additional salaries of chairmen of select and general committees, should be increased (in addition to the increase of 0.66 per cent. provided for in respect of the year starting with 1st April 2007 under the resolution of 10th July 1996 relating to Members' Salaries (No. 2))—

(a) with effect from 1st April 2007, by 0.84 per cent. of the rate as it stood on 31st March 2007, and

(b) with effect from 1st November 2007, by a further 1.06 per cent. of the rate as it stood on 31st March 2007;

(2) from 31st March 2008, the resolution of 10th July 1996 relating to Members' Salaries (No. 2) should cease to have effect.—(Ms Harriet Harman.)

And it being after five o'clock the Speaker put the remaining Questions necessary to dispose of proceedings on the Motions relating to Members' Salaries, Parliamentary Pensions and Members' Allowances, pursuant to Order [22nd January].

6    Members' Salaries,—Her Majesty's Recommendation having been signified to the proposed Motion relating to Members' Salaries;

A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Order, That the following provision shall be made with respect to the salaries of Members of this House—

(1) the yearly rate for salaries of Members of this House, including the additional salaries of chairmen of select and general committees, shall be increased (in addition to the increase of 0.66 per cent. provided for in respect of the year starting with 1st April 2007 under the resolution of 10th July 1996 relating to Members' Salaries (No. 2))—

(a) with effect from 1st April 2007, by 0.84 per cent. of the rate as it stood on 31st March 2007, and

(b) with effect from 1st November 2007, by a further 1.06 per cent. of the rate as it stood on 31st March 2007;

(2) from 31st March 2008, the resolution of 10th July 1996 relating to Members' Salaries (No. 2) shall cease to have effect—(Helen Goodman):—It was agreed to.

7    Parliamentary Pensions,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Order, That this House endorses in principle Recommendations 7, 8 and 9 of the report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries on parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances (Cm 7270-I) a copy of which was laid before this House on 16th January, relating to the Parliamentary Pension Scheme, and endorses the change to the Scheme rules outlined in Recommendation 6 if it can be implemented in conjunction with changes identified by the Trustees which produce sufficient offsetting savings to be cost neutral—(Helen Goodman):—It was agreed to.

8    Members' Allowances,—A Motion was made, and the Question being put forthwith, pursuant to Order, That this House notes the recommendations made in Chapter 5 of the report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries on parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances (Cm 7270-I) a copy of which was laid before this House on 16th January; and is of the opinion that—

(1) recommendations 20-22 relating to an increase in staffing allowance should be implemented, subject to the decisions of the Members Estimate Committee with regard to their timing and administration;

(2) recommendations 17-19, 23-28, 30 and 31 (relating to reimbursement of unreceipted expenditure, audit, central funding of constituency office costs, Incidental Expenses Provision, partners' travel, Communications Allowance, Resettlement Grant, Winding-up Allowance, and nomenclature of allowances) be referred to the Members Estimate Committee for further consideration following consultation with the Advisory Panel on Members Allowances—(Helen Goodman):—It was agreed to.

9    Adjournment.

Subject: Future of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency (Gordon Banks).

Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Mr Tom Watson.)

And accordingly, the House, having continued to sit till twelve minutes to Six o'clock, adjourned till to-morrow.

Michael J. Martin

Speaker

Mr Speaker will take the Chair at half-past Nine o'clock.

APPENDIX I

Papers presented or laid upon the Table:

Papers subject to Affirmative Resolution:

1    Local Government Finance,—Local Government Finance Report (England) for 2008-09 [by Act]; to be printed [No. 262] [Secretary Hazel Blears].

2    Police,—Police Grant Report (England and Wales) for 2008-09 [by Act]; to be printed [No. 265] [Secretary Jacqui Smith].

Paper subject to Negative Resolution:

3    British Nationality,—British Citizenship (Designated Service) (Amendment) Order 2008 (S.I., 2008, No. 135), dated 21st January 2008 [by Act], with an Explanatory Memorandum [by Command] [Secretary Jacqui Smith].

Other Papers:

4    Culture, Media and Sport,—Government Response to the First Report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Session 2007-08 on Public Service Content [by Command] [Cm. 7309] [Secretary James Purnell].

5    Governance of Britain,—Paper, entitled Review of Voting Systems: The experience of new voting systems in the United Kingdom since 1997 [by Command] [Cm. 7304] [Secretary Jack Straw].

6    Regulatory Impact Assessments,—List of Regulatory Impact Assessments for 1st January to 30th June 2007 [by Command] [Cm. 7297] [Mr Secretary Hutton].

APPENDIX II

General Committees

1    Energy Bill (Programming Sub-Committee),—The Speaker has appointed Mr John Baron, Charles Hendry, Dr Nick Palmer, John Robertson, Alison Seabeck, Steve Webb and Malcolm Wicks members of the Programming Sub-Committee of the Energy Bill Committee.

2    Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 3510),—The Committee of Selection has discharged Mr David Gauke from the First Delegated Legislation Committee (nominated in respect of the Order) and nominated in substitution Mr Mark Hoban.

    European Standing Committees

3    European Union Documents No. 11724/07 and Addenda 1 and 2, No. 13117/07 and Addendum 1 and No. 13118/07 and Addendum 1 relating to Financial Management and Unnumbered Explanatory Memorandum: Seventh Activity Report 2006, relating to the European Anti-Fraud Office Report,—The Committee of Selection has discharged Mr David Gauke and Mr Brooks Newmark from the European Standing Committee (nominated in respect of the Documents and Addenda) and nominated in substitution Mr Simon Burns and Mr Mark Hoban.

APPENDIX III

Reports from Select Committees

1    Health,—(1) Modernising Medical Careers: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee; to be printed [No. 25-v]; and

(2) Dental Services: Memoranda laid before the Health Committee; to be printed [No. 289-II]

[Mr Kevin Barron].

2    Public Administration,—Lobbying: Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee on Public Administration; to be printed [No. 137-ii] [Dr Tony Wright].

3    Treasury,—The run on the Rock: Fifth Report from the Treasury Committee, with Memoranda; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 56-I and -II] [John McFall].

[W.H., No. 23]

Minutes of Proceedings of the Sitting in Westminster Hall

The sitting began at half-past Two o'clock.

Subject: Global Security: The Middle East, Eighth Report from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 2006-07, and the Government's response thereto.

Resolved, That the sitting be now adjourned.—(Tony Cunningham.)

And accordingly the sitting was adjourned till Tuesday 29th February.

Sir Alan Haselhurst

Deputy Speaker