[Mr Gary Streeter in the Chair]

A warm welcome to everybody. Before we get under way in earnest, I have a few preliminary announcements. Most importantly, hon. Members may, if they wish, remove their jackets during Committee sittings, and I will be doing that shortly. In fact, if Tim could take that jumper off, it would do us all a favour. Will hon. Members ensure that all mobile phones, pagers and so on are turned off or switched to silent mode during Committee sittings?

As a general rule, I and my fellow Chair do not intend to call starred amendments, which are those that have not been tabled with adequate notice. The required notice period in Public Bill Committees is three working days, and amendments should therefore be tabled by the rise of the House on Monday for consideration on Thursday, and by the rise of the House on Thursday for consideration on Tuesday.

Not everyone is familiar with the process of taking oral evidence in Committee, so it may help if I briefly explain how we will proceed. The Committee will first be asked to consider the programme motion, which is on the amendment paper that should be in front of all Members, on which debate is limited to half an hour. We will then proceed to a motion to report written evidence and then a motion to permit the Committee to deliberate in private in advance of the oral evidence sessions, which I hope that we can take formally. Assuming that the second of those motions is agreed to, the Committee will then move into private session. Once the Committee has deliberated, the witnesses and members of the public will be invited back into the room and our oral evidence session will begin. If the Committee agrees to the programme motion, the Committee will hear oral evidence this morning.

Ordered,

That—

(1) the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 8.00 am on Tuesday 12 February) meet—

(a) at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 12 February;

(b) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 14 February;

(c) at 8.55 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 26 February;

(d) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 28 February;

(e) at 8.55 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 5 March;

(f) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 7 March;

(g) at 8.55 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 12 March;

(2) the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following Table:

TABLE

Date

Time

Witness

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 9.00 am

Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Department for Education

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 9.45 am

The Church of England

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 10.30 am

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 11.00 am

The Church in Wales

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 11.25 am

Lord Pannick QC; Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws QC

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 3.00 pm

Stonewall; Lesbian and Gay Foundation; Gender Identity Research and Education Society

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 3.45 pm

Liberal Judaism; Board of Deputies of British Jews

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 4.15 pm

Out4Marriage

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 4.45 pm

Coalition for Marriage

Tuesday 12 February

Until no later than 5.15 pm

Professor Julian Rivers, University of Bristol Law School

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 12.15 pm

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers in Britain); the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 1.00 pm

The Methodist Church; the United Reformed Church

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 2.45 pm

Liberty; Equality and Human Rights Commission; The Co-operative Group

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 3.15 pm

Schools OUT; PHSE Association

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 3.45 pm

The Very Reverend Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans; Alice Arnold, broadcaster

Thursday 14 February

Until no later than 4.15 pm

Brendan O'Neill, journalist; Mark Jones, partner at Ormerods Solicitors

(3) proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 4; Schedule 1; Clauses 5 to 10; Schedule 2; Clause 11; Schedules 3 and 4; Clause 12; Schedule 5; Clause 13; Schedule 6; Clause 14; Schedule 7; Clauses 15 to 18; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill; and

(4) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 5.00 pm on Tuesday 12 March.—(HughRobertson.)

Resolved,

That, subject to the discretion of the Chair, any written evidence received by the Committee shall be reported to the House for publication.—(Hugh Robertson.)

Copies of memorandums that the Committee receives will be made available in the Committee Room.

Written evidence reported to the House

MB 01 Lord Pannick QC

Resolved,

That, at this and any subsequent meeting at which oral evidence is to be heard, the Committee shall sit in private until the witnesses are admitted.—(Hugh Robertson.)

The Committee deliberated in private.