The House of Commons will not be sitting this week, as MPs have departed for their constituencies with the House rising last Thursday for the Summer recess.

Oral questions: At 14:30, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on UK participation in the EU’s Security Action for Europe programme; technological sovereignty and AI capabilities; acute illness in people with a learning disability; and recruitment of music teachers.

Statutory Instrument approval motions: The House will be asked to approve three draft Statutory Instruments (SIs). Because these SIs have already been debated in Grand Committee, their approval motions may be put to the House without further debate.

Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill (Third Reading): Peers will decide whether to pass the Government’s legislation to reform consumer rights and regulation in the aviation sector. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Third Reading, the House decides whether to pass the final version of the Bill and send it to the House of Commons. Unlike in the House of Commons, amendments may be tabled at Third Reading in the Lords, though are expected to be limited to clarifying uncertainties, improving drafting, or enabling Ministers to fulfil undertakings given at earlier stages.

The Bill would make changes to passenger consumer protection, airspaces, air traffic and navigation services, airport slots and schedules, the Civil Aviation Authority’s rule-making powers, and aviation-related offences.

Only one Government defeat occurred at Report Stage, on an amendment from the Conservative Peer Lord Moylan that would require the Government to conduct a review of the impact of airport drop-off charges within six months of the Act’s passage. If the Bill is passed, it will be sent to the House of Commons for further scrutiny. The Government typically seeks to reverse or revise any amendments that it opposed in the Lords when the Bill reaches Committee Stage in the Commons.

Social Housing Bill (Report, day 1 of 1): Peers will consider amendments to the Government’s legislation to protect social housing stock and reform the Right to Buy scheme. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Report Stage, the whole House decides whether any amendments should be made, or new clauses added, to the Bill. Similar amendments and new clauses are grouped together for debate, to prevent repetition and create a more focused debate. It is at Report Stage that the Government is most frequently defeated on amendments.

The Bill would lengthen the period before a tenant becomes eligible for the Right to Buy from three years to 10 years; reduce the maximum discount available; exempt newly constructed social housing from the Right to Buy; require social housing providers to notify local authorities before disposing of properties out of the social housing sector; and provide additional protections for social housing tenants who are victims of domestic abuse.

Statutory Instrument debate – Northern Ireland and the supply of machinery: At around 19:30, the debate on the Social Housing Bill will be interrupted for a one-hour debate on a motion to approve the draft Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026. This one-hour debate slot, interrupting another item of business, is sometimes referred to as dinner-break business.

The Regulations would enable the application and enforcement of the EU Machinery Regulation in Northern Ireland, as required by the Windsor Framework. This includes arrangements for enforcement and market surveillance, offences and penalties, conformity assessment, and mechanisms for cooperation and information sharing with the European Commission. The Regulations will come into force on 20 January 2027, the same day the EU Machinery Regulation begins to apply.

The Regulations would also extend the recognition of the EU’s CE conformity marking for machinery placed on the market in Great Britain beyond 20 January 2027, allowing it to be used alongside or instead of the UKCA conformity marking. According to the Government this would help ensure the continued supply of machinery, maintaining regulatory consistency across the UK, thereby facilitating the free movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as with the EU.

Because the Regulations are subject to the draft affirmative procedure, they cannot become law unless debated and approved by both Houses. The House of Commons has already debated and approved the Regulations.

Baroness Hoey has tabled a regret motion expressing concern that the Regulations would place different legal requirements on the supply of machinery in Northern Ireland in order to comply with the Windsor Framework, risk interrupting supply chains from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and increase pressure for equivalent EU requirements to be applied more widely.

A regret motion does not enable the House to block the Regulations themselves. If agreed, the House may still approve the instrument, but the regret motion would be incorporated into the wording of the approval resolution, putting the House’s concerns on the record.

The approval motion and the regret amendment will be debated together, at the end of which Peers will decide whether to support Baroness Hoey’s regret motion, and subsequently whether to approve the Regulations themselves.

Peers will then resume consideration of the Social Housing Bill, concluding its Report Stage.

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No select committees are scheduled to meet in public today.

↖ Contents · Skip to Tuesday’s Select Committees ↘

Oral questions: At 14:30, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on proposals for a visitor levy on the cost of domestic travel and holidays within the UK; the Bycatch Risk Prioritisation Framework; the impact of changes in the Land Use Framework on farming and food production; and Natural England’s approach to gamebird release licensing.

Statutory Instrument approval motions: The House will be asked to approve one draft Statutory Instrument (SI). Because this SI has already been debated in Grand Committee, its approval motion may be put to the House without further debate.

Sporting Events Bill (Third Reading): Peers will decide whether to pass the Government’s legislation to establish a common legislative framework for major sporting events. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Third Reading, the House decides whether to pass the final version of the Bill and send it to the House of Commons. Unlike in the House of Commons, amendments may be tabled at Third Reading in the Lords, though are expected to be limited to clarifying uncertainties, improving drafting, or enabling Ministers to fulfil undertakings given at earlier stages.

Only one Government defeat occurred at Report Stage, on a group of amendments from the Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Addington that would remove the requirement for events covered by the new Sporting Events Framework to not be regularly hosted in the UK.

If the Bill is passed, it will be sent to the House of Commons for further scrutiny. The Government typically seeks to reverse or revise any amendments that it opposed in the Lords when the Bill reaches Committee Stage in the Commons.

Commercial Payments Bill (Committee, day 1 of 1): Peers will begin detailed scrutiny of the Government’s legislation to tackle late payment between businesses. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Committee Stage, the House must decide whether each clause and schedule should remain in the Bill and whether any amendments or new provisions should be added. Amendments are grouped for debate to avoid repetition. Divisions do not typically take place at Committee Stage, since any amendment moved in Committee and defeated cannot be moved again at Report Stage, where amendments are more likely to succeed.

The Bill would cap payment terms in commercial contracts at 60 days for large businesses and 30 days for public authorities, introduce mandatory interest on late payments at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, and prohibit the withholding of retention payments under construction contracts. The Bill would also strengthen the investigative, adjudicative, and enforcement powers of the Small Business Commissioner.

Only one Committee sitting has been scheduled. Once Committee Stage is completed, the Bill will be reprinted if it has been amended. Peers will then have a further opportunity to revisit the main areas of concern at Report Stage.

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Highlights include:

House of Lords

11:00: Industry and Regulators Committee – The relationship between the Government and the defence industry: The Chief Executive of Plymouth Council will give evidence.

14:00: International Agreements Committee – Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions: Senior officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be questioned.

15:00: Economic Affairs Committee – OBR Fiscal risks and sustainability 2026: The Chief of Staff at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and members of the OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee will give evidence.

A full list of select committee hearings can be found on the What’s On section of the Parliament website.

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Details of Wednesday’s business can be found below.

Oral questions: At 15:00, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on the work of the Pensions Commission; access to the EU for performing artists and musicians; and support for clinicians to become innovators and entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector. The topic of a fourth question will be decided by a ballot drawn at lunchtime on Monday 20 July.

Motion to establish a Joint Committee on the draft Conversion Practices Bill: The Government will ask the House to agree a motion to establish a Joint Committee, made up of members of both the Houses, to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Conversion Practices Bill.

When a draft bill is subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in a Joint Committee, the Committee does not examine it clause by clause, as it would during Committee Stage. Instead, it takes evidence on the merits of the draft bill before reporting its conclusions and recommendations to the House. The Government then responds to the Committee’s report.

The bill may subsequently be formally introduced in either House, potentially incorporating amendments to the draft. Pre-legislative scrutiny does not alter a bill’s formal passage through Parliament: once introduced, it must proceed through the same parliamentary stages as any other bill.

Today’s motion declares that it would be “expedient” to establish a Joint Committee to examine and report on the draft bill. This is the first stage in establishing a new Joint Committee. Once one House – in this case, the House of Lords – has agreed that it would be expedient to do so, it sends a message to the other House, asking it to concur.

Therefore, soon after the Summer recess, the House of Commons will be asked to decide whether to concur with the Lords’ message. If it does, the Commons will formally appoint its members to the Joint Committee. The Lords will then appoint its own members, enabling the Committee to begin its work.

Today’s motion proposes that the Joint Committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House by 22 January 2027.

Statutory Instrument – Infected blood compensation: Peers will debate a motion to approve the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026. The Regulations make further changes to the statutory compensation scheme for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products. Building on recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Regulations make changes to awards, eligibility, and administration of the scheme. (House of Commons Library briefing)

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has drawn the instrument to the special attention of the House and suggested Members may wish to question the Minister about the rationale for certain decisions and approaches taken within the scheme, and seek further information about the expected pace of delivery.

Baroness Brinton has tabled a regret motion expressing concern that the Regulations do not address concerns raised by many victims about departures from the Inquiry’s compensation proposals; that progress for affected victims has been slow; about the arrangements for the estates of deceased victims; and that the changes may create implementation challenges for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

Because the Regulations are subject to the draft affirmative procedure, they cannot become law unless debated and approved by both Houses. A regret motion enables the House to place its concerns about the instrument on the record without preventing the regulations from becoming law. The approval motion and regret motion will be debated together, for up to one hour. At the end of the debate, the regret motion will be put to the House first, unless it is withdrawn, followed by the approval motion.

Statutory Instrument – Greater Cambridge Development Corporation: Peers will debate a motion to approve the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026. The Order establishes the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation, responsible for the regeneration of the urban development area covering Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. A separate order will confer planning functions on the Development Corporation.

The Order was signed into law (“made” by the Minister) on 3 June 2026 but cannot come into force until it has been approved by both Houses of Parliament. The House of Commons approved the Order on 13 July 2026.

Lord Lansley has tabled a regret motion expressing concern that the geographic scope of the Development Corporation does not correspond to the functional economic geography of the Cambridge-based economy, and that the Order is not accompanied by a further order setting out planning powers focused on very large new development sites.

As with the earlier SI in relation to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, a regret motion does not prevent the House from approving the Order, but it would enable Peers to put their concerns on the record. The approval motion and regret motion will be debated together for up to one hour. At the end of the debate, the regret motion will be put to the House first, unless it is withdrawn, followed by the approval motion.

Statutory Instrument – PIP decisions and appeals: Peers will debate a regret motion in relation to the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

The Regulations amend the social security decisions and appeals rules to give the Secretary of State a new ground for extending fixed-term Personal Independence Payment awards where this is necessary to safeguard the efficient administration of PIP. The Government says the power is intended to prevent awards from ending before a review can be completed, particularly where assessment capacity is under pressure.

Baroness Stedman-Scott’s regret motion argues that the Regulations will result in claimants receiving payments without appropriate reviews having taken place, and will fail to reduce the overall benefits bill.

The Regulations were made using the made negative procedure. This means they were signed into law by the Minister before being laid before Parliament and will remain law unless either House agrees a motion to annul them before the scrutiny period expires. Unlike affirmative instruments, they do not require a debate and vote in both Houses to approve them before they become law. In practice, negative instruments are only rarely annulled. Today’s motion is not a motion to annul the Regulations, but another regret motion. If agreed to, the Regulations will remain law, but the House will have formally recorded its concerns. The debate is limited to one hour.

Statutory Instrument – National Savings remediation: Peers will debate another regret motion on the National Savings (Remediation Scheme) Regulations 2026. The Regulations establish a remediation scheme in relation to National Savings and Investment cases where funds belonging to deceased account holders were incorrectly retained rather than paid to their estates.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe’s regret motion argues that delays in introducing the scheme affected up to 37,500 bereavement claims and that failures by National Savings and Investments (NS&I) have created a substantial liability for the taxpayer.

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has drawn the instrument to the special attention of the House, highlighting that Peers may particularly wish to question Ministers about whether the NS&I’s existing budgets cover all the costs associated with the scheme.

Like the PIP instrument above, these Regulations are subject to the “made negative” procedure. The regret motion being debated would not affect the legal status of the Regulations, but would allow the House to formally record its concerns. The debate is limited to one hour.

Statutory Instruments – Trade union ballots: Peers will debate two motions together, to approve the draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots and the draft Trade Unions (Permissible Means of Voting) and Employment Rights (Unfair Dismissal) (Amendment) Order 2026.

The Order and Code implement the Government’s commitment to permit electronic and workplace voting in statutory trade union ballots. The Order would allow fully electronic and hybrid voting for industrial action ballots, political fund resolutions, union elections, and union merger ballots. It would also allow workplace voting for industrial action ballots, where the employer consents.

Both instruments are subject to the draft affirmative procedure and therefore must be debated and approved by both Houses before they come into force.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom has tabled a regret motion expressing concern that the Order “risks making industrial action easier to authorise without sufficient safeguards for ballot integrity; that it does not provide adequate assurances on cyber-security, verification, auditability and resilience against interference; and that the workplace-voting provisions do not address employer consent, operational disruption, cost, privacy or security”.

The two approval motions and the regret motion will be debated together, for up to one hour. Again, the regret motion need not prevent approval of either instrument, but it would place the House’s concerns on the record alongside the approval decision.

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Highlights include:

House of Lords

10:00: Financial Services Regulation Committee – Regulation of the consumer insurance market: The chief executives of leading insurance companies Admiral, Aviva, and NFU Mutual will face questions.

10:30: International Relations and Defence Committee – Multilateralism: Experts in economic policy and development will give evidence.

A full list of select committee hearings can be found on the What’s On section of the Parliament website.

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Oral questions: At 11:00, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on charities’ access to banking services; the National Youth Strategy; and human rights and civil liberties in Jammu and Kashmir. The topic of a fourth question will be decided by a ballot drawn at lunchtime on Tuesday 21 July.

General debate – Digital and technology policy and national sovereignty: Typically, every Thursday from the beginning of each session until the end of January, time is set aside for general debates in the name of opposition frontbenchers, backbenchers or Crossbenchers. The allocation of these debates is decided via the Usual Channels – the business managers from the Government and other parliamentary groups in the House. Two such debates are scheduled to take place today, either side of a Question for Short Debate.

The first general debate, led by Crossbench peer and digital rights campaigner Baroness Kidron, is on the impact of digital and technology policy on national sovereignty. The debate will take place on a neutral motion that the House “takes note” of the issue, and will therefore conclude without a division (a formal vote). (House of Lords Library briefing)

Short debate – Gambling harm among young people: Every Thursday from the start of a session until the end of January, a topical Question for Short Debate (QSD) is scheduled between two general debates. The topic is selected by ballot, and only backbench and Crossbench members are eligible to enter. These debates are strictly time-limited to one hour.

Proceedings begin with a speech from the member who tabled the question, followed by a response from the Minister. The remaining time is divided equally among the other members who wish to speak.

Today’s QSD, tabled by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Foster of Bath, asks what plans the Government have to reduce gambling harm among young people.

General debate – Level 3 qualifications for the creative industries: The second general debate, led by Labour peer Baroness Keeley, concerns the role of the current level 3 qualifications for the creative industries, and the potential impact on the sector of replacing them with T Levels and V Levels. As with the first general debate, the discussion will take place on a neutral “take note” motion with no division at the end. (House of Lords Library briefing)

Peers will then rise for the Summer recess.

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No select committees are scheduled to meet in public today.

↖ Contents · Skip to Looking ahead ↘

The House of Lords rises for the Summer recess on Thursday 23 July 2026, a week after the House of Commons began its Summer recess. Both Houses will return at 14:30 on Tuesday 1 September 2026. Our next Bulletin will therefore be published on Sunday 30 August.

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