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Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 6-9 July 2026

5 Jul 2026
The Terrace. Image: The Terrace © Hansard Society / Richard Greenhill
Image: The Terrace © Hansard Society / Richard Greenhill

The Treasury Committee will question Defence Ministers on defence spending and the recently published Defence Investment Plan, while the new Director-General of the BBC, Matt Brittin, makes his debut before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton will give evidence to the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee. The Public Accounts Committee will examine officials on the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster and on Covid-related fraud. MPs will consider Lords amendments to the National Security (State Threats) Bill, while the Conservatives will choose the subject of the second Opposition Day debate of the Session. Backbench Business debate topics include UK warfighting readiness, NHS corridor care, Israeli settlements, and SLAPPs. In the Lords, Peers will consider the Armed Forces Bill, the Railways Bill, the Financial Services and Markets Bill, and the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill.

Questions and statements: At 14:30, Defence Ministers will respond to MPs’ questions. Topics include the threat from Russia, Operation Valour, veteran homelessness, the Royal Navy surface fleet, readiness of UK defences for drone attacks, the Defence Investment Plan, collaboration with the NHS, support for veterans, the High North, the cadet force, nuclear test veterans, and arms transferred through UK military bases.

At 15:30, any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow. Each Urgent Question lasts around 40 minutes on average, and Ministerial Statements last an average of around 50 minutes.

National Security (State Threats) Bill (Consideration of Lords Amendments): The Bill would give the Government new powers to designate organisations involved in threat activity linked to a foreign power. The proposed system is modelled on the proscription framework in the Terrorism Act 2000 and would create new criminal offences relating to designated bodies, including proxies used by foreign states to carry out hostile activities. (House of Commons Library briefing)

The Government has put forward a programme motion to be agreed at the start of today’s debate, revising the time limit for the debate from one to two hours.

The House of Lords made six amendments, in relation to two policy changes:

  • Humanitarian activities: Four amendments introduce a new defence to certain criminal offences relating to designated organisations. The aim is to ensure that legitimate humanitarian activities are not inadvertently criminalised.

  • Receipt of information: Two amendments expand the existing “reasonable excuse” defence for the offence of obtaining material benefit from a designated organisation, where that benefit consists of information. This would protect individuals who receive such information for legitimate purposes, such as journalists or charities involved in conflict resolution that obtain information about the location of landmines.

The House of Lords agreed each of the six amendments without a division, after the Government accepted their inclusion in the Bill. MPs must now decide whether to agree to each amendment, reject it outright, or propose an alternative.

As the Government supported the amendments in the Lords and has so far tabled no alternative amendments, the House of Commons is expected to agree all six amendments without a division at the end of today’s debate. If the Commons agrees to the Lords amendments without making any further changes, the Bill can proceed to Royal Assent.

Statutory Instrument debate – Waste and environmental permits: MPs will debate the draft Environmental Permitting (Waste Controlling or Transporting) and Relevant Functions of Primary Authorities (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026, which would introduce a new regulatory framework for operators that transport and manage waste in England. The new framework would replace the current registration system with a regime in which the Environment Agency would issue permits for operators.

The Regulations are subject to the draft affirmative procedure, so they cannot become law unless approved by both Houses. Under House of Commons Standing Orders, the debate may last for up to 90 minutes.

The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee drew the instrument to the special attention of the Lords on the grounds of its political and legal importance.

Statutory Instrument debate – Infected blood compensation: The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026 would implement the remaining recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry’s additional report on compensation. In particular, they would introduce a new supplementary award for people living with chronic hepatitis; create a new infection severity category for those who experience side effects from interferon treatment; allow additional compensation for those who suffer severe psychological harm; introduce a new award for unrealised potential, where a person was prevented from progressing into a high-earning career; and increase awards for children, siblings, and bereaved partners, and for those who were subject to unethical research practices. (House of Commons Library briefing)

The Regulations are subject to the draft affirmative procedure so both Houses must debate and approve them before they can be signed into law (made). The debate may last up to 90 minutes.

Statutory Instrument debate – Engineering and construction training: The draft Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2026 would enable the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) to continue to raise and collect a levy on employers in the engineering construction industry until 2028. The levy funds ECITB’s work to encourage adequate training across the industry

This Order is also subject to the draft affirmative procedure so both Houses must debate and approve it before it can be made by the Minister (signed into law). This debate may also last for up to 90 minutes.

Statutory Instrument approval motions: The House will be asked to approve a further eight draft Statutory Instruments (SIs). Because these SIs have already been debated in Delegated Legislation Committees, these motions are put without debate.

The first four motions had originally been scheduled for decision at the end of last Wednesday’s sitting. However, when the House reached the point at which it would normally have decided the motions, the Government unusually chose not to move them.

Although the Government did not explain its decision, it appears likely that it wished to avoid the possibility of votes taking place during the England World Cup match. The Government may have wished to avoid a repeat of a 2018 incident, when SNP MPs forced a series of divisions lasting 66 minutes during another England World Cup match.

Adjournment: Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin will give a speech on the review of patient safety across the health and care landscape published in July 2025. A Minister will then give a response.

Westminster Hall

16:30: MPs will debate e-petition 759385, which calls for anyone convicted of terrorism offences to be banned from standing for public office. The petition has around 204,000 signatures. (House of Commons Library briefing)

18:00: MPs will debate e-petition 764785, which calls on the Government to provide greater support for the ceramics industry. The petition has around 110,000 signatures. (House of Commons Library briefing)

Delegated Legislation Committee

18:00: The draft Electricity Capacity (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026

Oral questions: At 14:30, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on Fracture Liaison Services; West Bank settlements; Imprisonment for Public Protection; and an international maritime protected area in the Sargasso Sea.

Armed Forces Bill (Second Reading): Peers will debate the Government’s legislation to renew the principal statutory framework governing the Armed Forces for a further five years and make certain changes to that framework. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Second Reading, Peers debate the general principles of a bill rather than its detailed wording. They cannot amend the text at this stage. The House of Lords does not typically hold a division (a formal vote) on Government bills at Second Reading.

The Bill has particular constitutional significance because maintaining a standing army in peacetime requires Parliament’s continuing consent. In practice, this consent is provided through primary legislation every five years to renew the Armed Forces Act 2006, with an annual Order in Council approved by Parliament in the intervening years. This Bill would continue the operation of the Armed Forces Act 2006 until the end of 2031.

The Bill also contains measures to strengthen the service justice system, establish a new Defence Housing Service, enable defence personnel to detect and counter drones, and put the Armed Forces Covenant on a statutory footing, as promised in the Labour Party manifesto. Other provisions relate to the reserve forces, including raising the maximum age at which former service personnel may be recalled from 55 to 65.

If the Bill receives a Second Reading, it will be committed to a Committee of the Whole House, enabling all Peers to participate in its detailed scrutiny in the Chamber. The dates and expected number of Committee sittings have not yet been announced, indicating that Committee Stage will not begin until after the Summer recess.

Grand Committee

Financial Services and Markets Bill (Committee, day 5 of 6): From 15:45, Peers will continue detailed scrutiny in Grand Committee of the Government’s legislation to reform the regulation of financial services and markets. (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. Where Committee Stage takes place in Grand Committee, no divisions can be held, and an amendment may be agreed only if there is no objection. Peers may nevertheless use probing amendments to test the Government’s position before deciding whether to return to an issue at Report Stage.

The Committee will resume scrutiny of the clauses and groups of amendments from the point reached at last Wednesday’s sitting. The next clauses and amendment groups to be considered cover AI and digital governance in financial services, wholesale financial services, the handling of inheritance tax payments, litigation funding, independent accountability for financial regulation, senior managers’ notification requirements, and the overseas recognition regime. One further day in Committee is scheduled, on Wednesday 8 July.

Highlights include:

House of Commons

15:00: Procedure Committee – Written Parliamentary Questions (Departmental performance in Session 2024-26): Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister Seema Malhotra MP will give evidence. The Committee wrote to the Foreign Secretary earlier this year, expressing concern that “the FCDO had the poorest performance of all answering bodies across both named day and ordinary questions” between December 2024 and November 2025. Only 38% of named day questions and 55% of ordinary questions were answered on time, a fall from 62% and 74% respectively in the first five months of the session.

15:30: Public Accounts Committee – The work of the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner: The Commissioner and senior officials from HM Treasury, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will give evidence.

House of Lords

14:15: Childhood Vaccinations Committee – Childhood vaccinations: Minister for Public Health Sharon Hodgson MP will give evidence.

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

Questions and statements: At 11:30, Energy Security and Net Zero Ministers will respond to MPs’ questions. Topics include climate change, energy security, local area energy plans, large-scale solar farms, nuclear sites in Scotland, agrivoltaics, small modular reactors, an essential energy guarantee, energy prices, community-owned renewable energy, private sector clean energy investment, and climate change resilience planning.

At 12:30, any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow.

Ten Minute Rule Motion: Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden will seek to introduce an Outdoor Education Bill under the Ten Minute Rule which allows MPs to give a ten-minute speech in favour of a Bill before seeking the House’s permission to introduce it. The Bill would require that all children in primary and secondary education spend at least thirty minutes a day outdoors during school hours, require schools to provide at least one lesson of outdoor teaching per week, and require every child to be offered at least one outdoor education experience during primary and secondary school years. See our Hansard Society guide for more information about the parliamentary procedure for Ten Minute Rule Bills.

Opposition Day (Conservatives): By default, Government business has precedence each sitting day. However, the Standing Orders of the House of Commons set aside 20 days each session for opposition parties to determine the subject of debate. Seventeen Opposition Days are allocated to the Official Opposition, and the remaining three to the third largest parliamentary party.

Today is the second Opposition Day of the session and is allocated to the Conservative Party. Details of the motion(s) to be debated may not be made known until Tuesday’s Order Paper is published.

Presentation of Public Petitions: Labour MP Brian Leishman will present a public petition, on speed limits in Torwood Village.

Conservative MP Dame Karen Bradley will present a public petition, on local government reorganisation in Staffordshire.

Adjournment: Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy will give a speech on the regulation of proprietors of independent schools. A Minister will then give a response.

Westminster Hall

09:30: UK aid policy in the context of global funding trends (House of Commons Library briefing)

11:00: 150th anniversary of the Carlisle–Settle Railway

14:30: Future of British horseracing (House of Commons Library briefing)

16:00: Potential merits of increasing fraud protections and the Fraud Strategy 2026 to 2029 (House of Commons Library briefing)

16:30: Government support for human rights in Kashmir (House of Commons Library briefing)

Public Bill Committee

09:25 and 14:00: Health Bill (Committee, day 7): The Public Bill Committee appointed to scrutinise the Government’s new legislation to reform the governance of the National Health Service (NHS) will continue its clause-by-clause scrutiny. More information on the Bill can be found in an earlier edition of the Bulletin and in the House of Commons Library briefing.

At Committee Stage, the House must decide whether each clause and schedule should remain in the Bill, and whether any amendments should be made or new clauses and schedules added.

Today’s debate will resume at the point reached when the Committee last adjourned. The next clauses to be debated include time limits for compliance with NICE recommendations, the abolition of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, the abolition of Healthwatch England, the abolition of local Healthwatch organisations, and the status of NHS trusts as category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act.

Delegated Legislation Committees

14:30: The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Temporary Class Drug) Order 2026

14:30: The draft Contracts for Difference (Definition of Eligible Generator) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

16:30: The draft West Midlands Combined Authority (Key Route Network) (Amendment) Order 2026

16:30: The draft Justification Decision (Generation of Power by the RR SMR) Regulations 2026

Oral questions: At 14:30, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on international law and military conflicts; the independent review of Arts Council England; prioritisation of British industry in public procurement; and findings by the National Crime Agency regarding an international network of men who are drugging and sexually assaulting women.

Railways Bill (Second Reading): This Government legislation will establish Great British Railways (GBR), a new publicly owned body intended to bring responsibility for railway infrastructure and passenger services under a single organisation. The Bill was carried over in the House of Commons from the previous parliamentary session and completed its remaining Commons stages on Wednesday10 June. (House of Lords Library briefing)

At Second Reading, Peers debate the general principles of a bill rather than its detailed wording. They cannot amend the text at this stage. The House of Lords does not typically hold a division – a formal vote – on Government bills at Second Reading.

After Second Reading, the Minister in charge of the Bill, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, will move that it be committed to a Committee of the Whole House, enabling all Peers to participate in detailed scrutiny in the Chamber. The dates and expected number of Committee sittings have not yet been announced.

Grand Committee

From 15:45, the House will debate eight draft Statutory Instruments:

  • Electricity Capacity (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026;

  • REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026;

  • Justification Decision (Generation of Power by the RR SMR) Regulations 2026;

  • Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2026;

  • Registration of Births and Deaths (England and Wales) (Specified Requirements) Regulations 2026;

  • Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to OFCOM) (Revocation) Order 2026;

  • Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026; and

  • Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Establishment of Schools) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026.

Highlights include:

House of Commons

10:00: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee – Housing conditions in England: Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook MP will give evidence.

10:00: Defence Committee – Defence Investment Plan: Two authors of the Strategic Defence Review, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and Sir Richard Barrons, will give evidence.

10:10: Administration Committee – General Election planning: Members’ staff will give evidence.

11:30: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee – Innovation and global food security: International Development Minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington will give evidence.

14:00: Foreign Affairs Committee – Israel–Palestine conflict: Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer MP will give evidence.

14:30: Home Affairs Committee and Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – Public disorder and irregular migration in Northern Ireland: Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris MP, Northern Ireland Office Minister Matthew Patrick MP, and senior officials from the Home Office and Police Service of Northern Ireland will give evidence.

14:30: Business and Trade Committee – Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle MP will give evidence on the work of his Department.

14:30: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee – Secretary of State Emma Reynolds MP will give evidence on the work of her Department.

14:30: Justice Committee – Immigration and asylum appeals: A former Upper Tribunal judge, a Law Society consultant, and a Professor of Administrative Law at King’s College will give evidence.

House of Lords

10:15: Science and Technology Committee – Personalised medicine and AI: Minister for Health Innovation and Safety Preet Kaur Gill MP will give evidence.

14:30: Justice and Home Affairs Committee – Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP will give evidence on the work of the Home Office.

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

Details of Wednesday’s business can be found below.

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Questions and statements: At 11:30, Northern Ireland Ministers will respond to MPs’ questions. Topics include the domestic manufacturing supply chain, legacy issues, community cohesion, fishing visas, the cost of GB–NI trade, recent disorder in Northern Ireland, the Dillon judgment in the UK Supreme Court, security, and violence against women and girls.

At 12:00, Sir Keir Starmer is set to face the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, at Prime Minister’s Questions.

At 12:30, any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow.

Ten Minute Rule Motion: Liberal Democrat MP Chris Coghlan will seek to introduce a Mental Capacity (Duty to Assess) Bill under the Ten Minute Rule which allows MPs to give a ten-minute speech in favour of a Bill before seeking the House’s permission to introduce it. The Bill would require certain persons, such as health and social care workers, to carry out assessments of mental capacity whenever credible doubt is raised.

Backbench debate – UK rearmament and warfighting readiness: This debate will take place on a substantive motion rather than the neutral “take note” wording usually used for general debates. It is possible that the House will therefore hold a formal vote (a division) on the motion. If agreed, the motion will constitute a formal resolution of the House, although it will not legally compel the Government to adopt the policies it endorses. (House of Commons Library briefing)

Time for this debate was allocated by the Backbench Business Committee following an application by Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin. His motion recognises the threats posed by Russia and China and the increasing uncertainty surrounding the reliability of the US as an ally. It asserts that current shortfalls in the UK’s ability to deploy a credible fighting force is resulting in the coercion of Britain in the international sphere and that the Government should thus begin a programme of rapid rearmament.

Backbench debate – NHS corridor care: MPs will then debate the treatment of patients in hospital corridors and other spaces not designed or equipped for clinical care. As a general debate, proceedings will take place on a neutral motion, “That this House has considered corridor care in the NHS”. This will give MPs an opportunity to put their views on the record, but the House will not be asked to make a substantive decision. (House of Commons Library briefing)

The debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following an application by Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, an emergency medicine doctor and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Emergency Care. In her application, she argued that there had never been a debate on this specific issue on the floor of the House, and that the application had received cross-party support.

Adjournment: Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello will give a speech on Government support for the greenhouse gas removals sector. A Minister will then give a response.

Westminster Hall

09:30: The draft UK–EU Agreement on Gibraltar (House of Commons Library briefing)

11:00: Defibrillators in police vehicles (House of Commons Library briefing)

14:30: Government policy on AI and its impact on society (House of Commons Library briefing)

16:00: Government support for bus services in West Dorset constituency (House of Commons Library briefing)

16:30: The National Youth Strategy and youth enrichment (House of Commons Library briefing)

Delegated Legislation Committees

14:30: The draft Trade Unions (Permissible Means of Voting) and Employment Rights (Unfair Dismissal) (Amendment) Order 2026, and the draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots

14:30: The draft Batteries (Placing on the Market) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026

16:30: The draft Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

16:30: The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026

Oral questions: At 15:00, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on the working conditions of unpaid carers; safe routes for refugee students; and the role of the Scottish Lord Advocate. The topic of a fourth question will be decided by a ballot drawn at lunchtime on Monday 6 July.

Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill (Report): Peers will consider amendments to the Government’s legislation to enable Ministers to bring steel undertakings into public ownership. (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. The House will decide amendments in the order in which they would appear in the Bill. It is at Report Stage that the Government is most frequently defeated on amendments.

The Bill had two days in Committee in the Lords, concluding on 1 July. The key issues, particularly concerning the parliamentary scrutiny procedure to be applied to the Bill’s delegated powers were set out in last week’s edition of this Bulletin.

Any changes agreed by Peers will require the Bill to return to the House of Commons after Third Reading so that MPs can decide whether to accept, reject or propose alternatives to the Lords amendments. If Peers make no amendments at Report Stage, the Bill will proceed immediately to Royal Assent after Third Reading.

Grand Committee

Financial Services and Markets Bill (Committee, day 6 of 6): From 16:15, Peers will conclude detailed scrutiny in Grand Committee of the Government’s legislation to reform the regulation of financial services and markets. (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. Where Committee Stage takes place in Grand Committee, no divisions can be held, and an amendment may be agreed only if there is no objection. Peers may nevertheless use probing amendments to test the Government’s position before deciding whether to return to an issue at Report Stage.

Today is the sixth and final scheduled Committee sitting. The Committee will resume its scrutiny from the point reached on Monday and is expected to complete consideration of the remaining clauses and amendments. The Bill will then be reprinted with any amendments made, and Peers will have a further opportunity to propose amendments at Report Stage.

Highlights include:

House of Commons

09:15: Transport Committee – Achieving and measuring transport integration: Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood MP will give evidence.

09:30: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee – Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall MP will give evidence on the work of her Department.

09:30: Health and Social Care Committee – Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray MP will give evidence alongside senior officials from his Department and NHS England.

10:00: Culture, Media and Sport Committee – BBC Royal Charter Review: The new Director-General, Matt Brittin will make his first appearance before the Committee alongside the Chair of the BBC, Dr Samir Shah.

10:00: Education Committee – Improving early years support for children and families: Early Education Minister Olivia Bailey MP will give evidence.

12:45: Public Accounts Committee and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee – Civil service pensions: Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Cabinet Office officials, and senior representatives of Capita will give evidence.

13:00: Treasury Committee – Defence spending and finance: Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby MP will give evidence.

14:30: Business and Trade Committee – Artificial Intelligence, business, and the future of the workforce: Employment Minister Kate Dearden MP, Small Business Minister Blair McDougall MP, AI Minister Kanishka Narayan MP, and experts in AI and tech policy will give evidence.

15:00: Energy Security and Net Zero Committee – International climate policy: Climate Minister Katie White MP will give evidence.

15:30: Environmental Audit Committee – National security assessment and COP-17: Nature Minister Mary Creagh MP will give evidence.

House of Lords

14:00: International Relations and Defence Committee – Multilateralism: Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who last week pleaded guilty to charges of mishandling classified security information, will give evidence.

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

Questions and statements: At 09:30, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ministers will face questions from MPs. Topic include the long-term financial sustainability of farm businesses, support for farmers with increased cost, support for native Dartmoor ponies, food origin labelling, river pollution, the Teddington Direct River Abstraction proposal support for pig farmers, and the adequacy of the geographical distribution of tuna fishing licences.

At 10:10, the Solicitor General, for the Attorney General’s Office, will face questions from MPs. Topics include violence against women and girls, the impact of jury trial changes, and the court backlog.

Any Urgent Questions will follow.

The Leader of the House of Commons, Sir Alan Campbell MP, will present the weekly Business Statement, setting out the business in the House for the next couple of weeks and answering questions about anything that Members might want debated. Any Ministerial Statements will follow.

Select Committee statement – Science, Innovation and Technology Committee: Dame Chi Onwurah, chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, will make a statement on the Committee’s imminent report, “Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race”.

Select Committees can ask the Backbench Business Committee for time to make statements on the launch of inquiries or the publication of a report. These statements are typically scheduled in the Chamber during backbench business time on Thursdays. A statement consists of a 10-minute speech from a member of the Select Committee, during which interventions are not permitted, followed by 10 minutes of questions from MPs, to which the Select Committee member responds.

Backbench debate – Trade with illegal Israeli settlements: MPs will then debate the motion, “That this House has considered the potential merits of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements”. This will give MPs an opportunity to place their views on the record, but MPs will not be required to vote and thereby make a substantive decision. (House of Commons Library briefing in preparation)

The debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following an application by Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed. In her application, she noted that there has not been a significant debate on this issue since the Government announced the temporary suspension of trade talks and recognition of the Palestinian state.

Backbench debate – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs): MPs will debate a motion relating to the impact of SLAPPs. This debate will take place on a substantive motion rather than the neutral “this House has considered” wording used for general debates. It is possible that the House will therefore vote on the motion at the end of the debate. If agreed, the motion will constitute a formal resolution of the House, although it will not legally compel the Government to do anything.

Time for this debate was allocated by the Backbench Business Committee following an application by Labour MP Phil Brickell, though the debate will be led by fellow Labour MP Alex Sobel. The motion states that SLAPPs pose a critical threat to press freedom and civil rights, claims that existing anti-SLAPP provisions are ineffective and narrow, and calls on the Government to find a legislative vehicle for comprehensive anti-SLAPP provisions.

Adjournment: Labour MP Gareth Snell will give a speech on the potential merits of the inclusion of ceramics in the British Industry Supercharger. A Minister will then give a response.

Westminster Hall

13:30: Humanitarian impact of conflicts on older people (House of Commons Library briefing in preparation)

15:00: Government support for the Lobular Moon Shot Project into lobular breast cancer (House of Commons Library briefing)

Public Bill Committee

11:30 and 14:00: Health Bill (Committee, day 8): The Public Bill Committee appointed to scrutinise the Government’s new legislation to reform the governance of the NHS will continue its formal clause by clause scrutiny. More information on the Bill can be found in an earlier edition of the Bulletin and in the House of Commons Library briefing.

At Committee Stage, the House must decide whether each clause and schedule should remain in the Bill, and whether any amendments should be made or new clauses and schedules added.

Today’s debate will resume at the point reached when the Committee adjourned on Tuesday.

Oral questions: At 11:00, Peers will begin the day by questioning Ministers for 40 minutes, on immigration levels in the last five years; the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and the use of AI in developing vaccine technology. The topic of a fourth question will be decided by a ballot drawn at lunchtime on Tuesday 7 July.

Debate on select committee report – The space economy: The House will debate the report of the UK Engagement with Space Committee, The Space Economy: Act Now or Lose Out, and the Government’s response. (House of Lords Library briefing)

The debate will be opened by the Committee’s former Chair, Labour Peer Baroness Ashton of Upholland. Select committee reports are commonly debated on neutral “take note” motions. These motions allow Peers to examine a committee’s conclusions and question the Government about its response, but they do not result in a division (formal vote).

Short debate – Defence readiness: On Thursdays from the start of a session until the end of January, a Question for Short Debate (QSD) is normally scheduled between two longer debates. QSDs are strictly limited to one hour.

Proceedings begin with a speech from the Peer who tabled the question, followed by contributions from other speakers and a response from the Minister. The remaining speaking time is divided among those taking part, and there is no vote at the conclusion.

Today’s QSD, tabled by Labour Peer Lord Harris of Haringey, asks what progress the Government has made towards drafting the Defence Readiness Bill recommended by the Strategic Defence Review. He will also ask whether the legislation will extend beyond military preparedness to cover broader national resilience and preparations for the risks identified in the National Risk Register.

Debate on select committee report – Rule of law: The House will then debate the Constitution Committee’s report, The rule of law: holding the line against tyranny and anarchy, and the Government’s response. (House of Lords Library briefing)

Of particular relevance to Parliament are the Committee’s conclusions on delegated powers. It argues that the Government should not introduce bills with broad or vaguely worded delegated powers that leave considerable discretion to ministers, and that delegated powers should not enable major policy changes to be made through delegated legislation.

The debate will be opened by the Committee’s Chair, Conservative Peer Lord Strathclyde. As with the earlier committee report debate, it will take place on a neutral “take note” motion and will conclude without a division.

Grand Committee

Once every five sitting weeks, the Grand Committee sits for four hours on a Thursday to consider four Questions for Short Debate (QSDs). These QSDs are selected through a ballot, held on the same five-week cycle, open only to backbench and crossbench Peers. The first four entries drawn in the ballot are scheduled for debate in Grand Committee on the relevant Thursday. The remaining successful entries are placed on a reserve list and may be debated during lunch or dinner breaks, or as the last item of business on a sitting day.

From 12:15, Peers will consider the four Questions for Short Debate drawn in the latest ballot, with each debate limited to one hour:

  • Artistic freedom and cultural boycotts: Baroness Fox of Buckley will ask what assessment the Government has made of the report The New Boycott Crisis, published by Freedom in the Arts in February 2026, and of the impact of contemporary cultural boycotts on artistic freedom. (House of Lords Library briefing)

  • Ukraine’s decentralisation and municipal partnerships: Lord Risby will ask what assessment the Government has made of Ukraine’s decentralisation reforms and what it is doing to support municipal partnerships as part of the country’s recovery, resilience, and reconstruction. (House of Lords Library briefing)

  • Aid cuts and women and girls: Baroness Sugg will ask what assessment the Government has made of the impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on international development outcomes for women and girls. (House of Lords Library briefing)

  • Dementia and frailty: Lord Weir of Ballyholme will ask how the Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty will improve dementia diagnosis, provide robust and acceptable clinical data and performance measures, and support access to innovative treatments. (House of Lords Library briefing)

Highlights include:

House of Commons

10:00: Public Accounts Committee – Costing and governance of the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament: The Managing Director of the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Client Team and the Chief Executive of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority will give evidence. The latest developments in the R&R project – including a letter to the R&R Client Board from the Lord Speaker warning of the “eye watering” costs resulting from delays to the scheduling of the necessary debates and vote to enable MPs and Peers to make a decision on the next stage of the project – are discussed in the latest episode of our Parliament Matters podcast.

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

Neither House is expected to sit on Friday 10 July 2026. Both Houses will resume at 14:30 on Monday 13 July. Our next Bulletin will therefore be published on Sunday 12 July.

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