Welfare Reform Bill
10:30 am
Witness
Tuesday 10 February
Until no later than 12.15 pm
The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Tuesday 10 February
Until no later than 1 pm
Drugscope
Tuesday 10 February
Until no later than 5.30 pm
Barnardo’s, the Child Poverty Action Group and Gingerbread
Tuesday 10 February
Until no later than 6.20 pm
Professor Paul Gregg (Bristol University)
Thursday 12 February
Until no later than 10.25 am
Department for Work and Pensions
(3) proceeding on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 3; Schedule 1; Clauses 4 to 7; Schedule 2; Clauses 8 and 9; Schedule 3; Clauses 10 to 19; Schedule 4; Clauses 20 to 40; Schedule 5; Clauses 41 to 44; Schedule 6; Clauses 45 and 46; Schedule 7; Clauses 47 to 50; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(4) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 3 March.
I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Amess. I am sure that our deliberations will be focused, but huge fun at the same time. I have no doubt that this will be slightly different from the last Bill that I took through—the Counter-Terrorism Bill—and that there will be far more harmony this time. The scrutiny unit has said that during Thursday’s sitting, for which the programme motion mentions only the Department for Work and Pensions as witness, it is I, the Under-Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friends the Members for Chatham and Aylesford and for Burnley, and a lead DWP official who will give evidence. When we discussed that in the Programming Sub-Committee, I said that I was perfectly happy for this Committee to choose whomever it wanted to give evidence. I am not clear that that is by common agreement. The motion still refers to the DWP, so this does not affect the motion. If, between now and Thursday, colleagues on the Committee decide they want some variation of DWP personnel, I am more than amenable to listening. With that one caveat, I am happy to commend the motion to the Committee.