Latest edition: 20-24 January 2025
Westminster is always buzzing with political drama and rumours, but whatever the daily gossip or latest crisis, law-making and parliamentary scrutiny carries on regardless. That’s why it’s crucial to stay informed about what’s happening in Parliament each week. The Parliament Matters Bulletin is our weekly analysis of what's coming up in the House of Commons and House of Lords, as a complement to our weekly Parliament Matters Podcast.
The projected costs of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be considered by MPs, and the Public Bill Committee examining the Bill will meet to decide its schedule of work. Backbench debates focus on the impact of food and diet on obesity; financial education; and Holocaust Memorial Day. MPs will consider the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill and the Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill. Peers will consider amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill. The Home Affairs Committee will hear from Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
MPs will consider proposed amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill. The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary will face oral questions from MPs. Backbenchers will lead a debate on hospice and palliative care, intended to inform the wider debate about the assisted dying bill. Several Cabinet Ministers, including the Leader of the House of Commons, will appear before select committees. The Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill will complete all its stages in the House of Lords in a day. Peers will commence Committee stage scrutiny of the Mental Health Bill.
MPs return from recess to debate the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the Crown Estate Bill. Backbenchers will lead discussions on seizing Russian assets, NHS backlogs, and violence against women and girls. Peers will consider the legislation to increase employer National Insurance contributions and the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. Electoral Commission officials will give evidence to the Public Administration Committee's review of the 2024 general election, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner faces her departmental select committee. MPs will also debate the 3-million-signature e-petition demanding a new general election.
MPs will review five Bills, including the Water (Special Measures) Bill and debate two E-Petitions on Israel and Palestine, one on halting arms exports to Israel, raising sub judice concerns. Six Select Committees will see membership changes following front bench reshuffles and Peers will consider proposals for four new 2025 inquiry committees.The Defence Committee Chair will raise concerns about poor service accommodation, while Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood, Wes Streeting, and Michael Gove face Select Committees.
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Presented by Mark D’Arcy, former BBC parliamentary correspondent, and our Director, Ruth Fox, you can listen to our weekly podcast by subscribing via your favourite app.
Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation. Last updated: 22 January 2025
In this first "mini pod" of a series exploring one of the most controversial bills currently before Parliament — the proposed legislation to legalise assisted dying — Ruth Fox and Mark D’Arcy delve into the heated debates surrounding the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This Private Member’s Bill has already ignited passionate discussions during its first Public Bill Committee sitting.
As MPs prepare to consider the detail of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - known as the assisted dying bill - this briefing highlights concerns about two clauses granting delegated powers to Ministers. These clauses address substances approved for assisted dying and its provision through the health service. It also examines the absence of a Delegated Powers Memorandum and its impact on effective scrutiny of the Bill.
This week we highlight Professor Alexis Jay’s damning verdict on the Conservative government’s lacklustre response to child abuse inquiry recommendations and the first major test of Northern Ireland’s “Stormont Brake” under the Windsor Framework. Plus, we take a look at the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill and how it measures up to its German counterpart.
With the Government still under pressure to set up an independent inquiry into child grooming gangs should Parliament have a role in setting up inquiries into state failures and national disasters? Currently, Ministers take crucial decisions about who should chair an inquiry and what its precise remit should be. But a House of Lords Committee last year proposed giving Parliament a greater say and adopting a more systematic approach to implementing inquiry recommendations.
