House of Commons

Session 2007 - 08
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Weekly Information Bulletin

Weekly Information Bulletin: 18th October 2008

Select Committees

A complete list of Select Committee membership and a Factsheet (P2) on the work of Select Committees is available on request from the House of Commons Information Office. The list and Factsheet are also on the Parliament website at:

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publications_and_archives/factsheets.cfm

An index to the Select Committee home pages together with links to further pages containing information about their work and publications is on the Parliament website at:

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/parliamentary_committees16.cfm

Membership:

Children, Schools and Families:

Adam Afriyie discharged; Mr Edward Timpson added

Human Rights (Joint Committee):

Mr Douglas Carswell discharged; Mr Edward Timpson added

Select Committee Meetings
13 - 17 October

Monday 13 October

Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Subject: DIUS Departmental Report 2008 Witnesses: Ian Watmore, Permanent Secretary, and officials, Department for Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Subject: English pig industry Witnesses: British Pig Executive and National Pig Association; British Meat Processors Association, Tulip Ltd., and Bowes of Norfolk

Communities and Local Government Subject: Communities and Local Government's Departmental Annual Report 2008 Witnesses: Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary, Richard McCarthy, Director General, Housing and Planning, David Rossington, acting Director General, Communities Group, Hunada Nouss, Director General, Corporate Delivery and Sir Ken Knight, CBE, DL, Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Department for Communities and Local Government

Tuesday 14 October

Culture, Media and Sport* Subject: The Licensing Act 2003 Witnesses: Local Government Association and the Association of Town Centre Management; Association of Chief Police Officers and the Police Federation; Magistrates Association

Home Affairs Subject: Human Trafficking Witnesses: NewsQuest; *Europol; *European Commission

(*Witnesses gave evidence via video-link)

Treasury Subject: Economics of the Housing Market Witnesses: Nationwide, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Council of Mortgage Lenders, Professor John Muellbauer, Nuffield College, Professor David Miles, Imperial College London

Business and Enterprise Subject: The role of regional development agencies Witnesses: Advantage West Midlands, East Midlands Development Agency

Defence Subject: UK national security and resilience Witnesses: General Sir David Richards KCB CBE DSO ADC, Commander-in-Chief Land Forces and Brigadier James Everard CBE, Director Commitments, HQ Land Forces, Ministry of Defence

Joint Committee on Human Rights Subject: Equality and Human Rights Commission Witnesses: Mr Trevor Phillips, Chairman, and Mr John Wadham, Legal Director, Equality and Human Rights Commission

Justice Subject: Sentencing Commission Witnesses: Professor Mike Hough, King's College London, and Professor Andrew Ashworth QC, University of Oxford

Wednesday 15 October

Treasury Subject: Administration and Expenditure of the Chancellors' Departments 2007-08 Witnesses: Government Actuary's Department, Debt Management Office, Valuation Office Agency

Foreign Affairs Subject: FCO Departmental Report 2007-08 Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Kinnock of Bedwellty, Chair, Martin Davidson, Chief Executive, and Bidesh Sarkar, Director, Resources, British Council; Nigel Chapman, Director, and Richard Thomas, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Finance, BBC World Service

European Scrutiny Subject: Scrutiny of European Documents Witnesses: None

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Subject: Waste Strategy for England 2007 Witnesses: Environment Agency; Chartered Institution of Wastes Management; WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)

Transport Subject: School Travel Witnesses: Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of Head Teachers and Modeshift; Stagecoach Group, Confederation of Passenger Transport, and First Group

Thursday 16 October

Public Administration Subject: Good Government Witnesses: Ms Zenna Atkins, Mr Geoff Mulgan, Sir Steve Robson CB and Mr Matthew Taylor

Health Subject: NHS Next Stage Review

Witnesses: Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman, Council of the British Medical Association (BMA), Sir Ian Carruthers, Chief Executive, NHS South West, Margaret Edwards, Chief Executive, NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, and Mike Farrar, Chief Executive, NHS North West

Friday 17 October

None

All public select committee meetings are webcast Select committees marked with * will be taken by BBC Parliament Please note: The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded, and the place altered without notice and Committees which sit at short notice may not be included in this list

Forthcoming Select Committee Meetings
20 - 24 October

Monday 20 October

Children, Schools and Families
Subject: National Curriculum
Witnesses: Professor Bill Boyle, Peter Dudley, Director, Primary National Strategy, Roger Shippam, Ofsted, Professor Rosemary Webb and Dr Dominic Wyse; Sir Jim Rose, and Colin Seal, Rose Review (at 4.45 pm)

3:45pm

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Public Accounts
Subject: Widening participation in higher education
Witnesses: Ian Watmore, Permanent Secretary, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Professor David Eastwood, Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England, and Sir Martin Harris, Director, Office of Fair Access

4:30pm

Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Tuesday 21 October

Communities and Local Government Subject: Tenant Services Authority Witnesses: Anthony Mayer, Chair-designate, and Peter Marsh, Chief Executive-designate, Tenant Services Authority	10:20am	The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Environmental Audit Subject: Reducing CO2 and other emissions from shipping Witnesses: Peter Lockley, Head of Transport, WWF-UK; Dr Andre Stochniol, International Maritime Emissions Reduction Scheme (at 11.00 am)	10:20am	Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Business and Enterprise* Subject: Departmental Annual Report / Current Economic Situation Witness: Rt Hon Lord Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool, Secretary of State and Sir Brian Bender, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Witnesses:	10:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Culture, Media and Sport* Subject: Channel 4 Annual Report 2007 Witnesses: Luke Johnson, Chairman, Andy Duncan, Chief Executive, and Anne Bulford, Group Finance Director, Channel 4	10:30am	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Defence* Subject: UK national security and resilience Witnesses: Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence, Admiral Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, Home Office	10:30am	Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Home Affairs Subject: Human Trafficking Witnesses: Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre	10:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Joint Committee on Human Rights Subject: Policing and Protest Witnesses: National Union of Journalists, Huntingdon Life Sciences, and Social Affairs Unit; Climate Change Camp, Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, and Justice not Vengeance (at 2.30 pm)	1:45pm	Committee Room 5, Palace of Westminster
Justice Subject: : (i) Ministry of Justice Departmental Annual Report 2007-08 (ii) Appointment of Chairman of the Office for Legal Complaints Witnesses: (i) Sir Suma Chakrabarti KCB, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice (ii) Elizabeth France CBE, preferred candidate	4:15pm	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Wednesday 22 October

Children, Schools and Families Subject: Draft Apprenticeships Bill Witnesses: Jim Knight MP, Minister for Schools and Learners, Department for Children, Schools and Families and Siôn Simon MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills	9:30am	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Work and Pensions Subject: DWP's commissioning strategy and the employment programme market Witnesses: Social Market Foundation and Policy Exchange; Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and Employment Related Services Association (at 10.45 am)	9:30am	The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
European Scrutiny Subject: Scrutiny of European Documents Witnesses:	2:30pm	Committee Room 19, Palace of Westminster
Treasury Sub-Committee Subject: Administration and Expenditure of the Chancellors' Departments 2007-08 Witnesses: Nick Macpherson, Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury	2:30pm	The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Transport Subject: School Travel Witnesses: Sustrans, Living Streets, Yellow School Bus Commission and Siân Thornthwaite; Rural 14-19 Access to Learning Group, Association of Colleges and RAC Foundation (at 3.40 pm); National Youth Agency, National Children's Bureaux and National Union of Students (at 4.20 pm)	2:45pm	Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Public Accounts Subject: Defence Information Infrastructure Witnesses: Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, John C T Taylor, Chief Information Officer, and Bob Quick OBE, Ministry of Defence	3:30pm	Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Thursday 23 October

Health
Subject: Health Inequalities
Witnesses: Professor Peter C Smith, Director, and Professor Mark Sculpher, Professor of Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York, and Professor John Harris, Lord David Alliance Professor of Bioethics, The School of Law, University of Manchester; Christine Bidmead, Centre for Parent and Child Support, South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Kaye Wellings, Professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Professor Jane Sandall, Professor of Midwifery and Women's Health, Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London (at 10.45 am)

10:00am

The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Public Administration*
Subject: Good Government
Witnesses: Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP and Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP

10:00am

The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Friday 24 October

None

[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice]

All public select committee meetings are webcast Select committees marked with * will be taken by BBC Parliament Recorded information about forthcoming select and standing committee meetings over the next two sitting days is available on:[Tel 020 7219 2033]. Please note: The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded, and the place altered without notice and Committees which sit at short notice may not be included in this list.