[John Robertson in the Chair]

Before we begin, I have a few preliminary announcements. Members may, if they wish, remove their jackets during the Committee’s sittings. Will all Members please ensure that their phones and pagers are turned off or switched to silent mode during these meetings?

As a general rule, my fellow Chair and I do not intend to call starred amendments that have not been tabled with adequate notice. The required notice period for Public Bill Committees is three working days. Therefore, amendments should be tabled by the rise of the House on a Monday for consideration on a Thursday, and by the rise of the House on a Thursday for consideration on a Tuesday. Please note that the House is now expected to rise at 5.30 pm on Thursdays.

For those members of the Committee who are less familiar with the process of taking oral evidence in Public Bill Committees, it may be helpful if I explain briefly how we will proceed. First, the Committee will be asked to consider the programme motion, debate on which is limited to half an hour. We will then consider a motion to report written evidence, followed by a motion to permit the Committee to deliberate in private before taking oral evidence, and I hope that we can take those motions formally. Assuming that the three motions are agreed to, the Committee will move into private session. Once the Committee has deliberated, the witnesses and members of the public will be invited back into the room and the oral evidence will begin. If the Committee agrees to the programme motion, we will hear oral evidence this morning.

On a point of order, Mr Robertson. As hon. Members may know, I am Second Church Estates Commissioner, so I have a particular interest in the well-being of the Church of England. It will benefit considerably from the Bill, but I do not want to have to explain that I am the Second Church Estates Commissioner every time I speak in Committee. I hope that declaring that interest at the start will suffice for the duration of our proceedings.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that, and I am quite happy, if everybody else is, for that to be the case.

Ordered,

That—

(1) the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 8.55 am on Tuesday 16 October) meet—

(a) at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 16 October;

(b) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 18 October;

(c) at 8.55 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 23 October;

(d) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 25 October;

(e) at 8.55 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 30 October;

(2) the Committee shall hear oral evidence on Tuesday 16 October in accordance with the following Table:

TABLE

Time

Witness

Until no later than 10.00 am

The United Synagogue; Stewardship; The Church of England

Until no later than 11.00 am

National Council for Voluntary Organisations; Charity Tax Group; Small Charities Coalition

Until no later than 11.25 am

The Law Society of Scotland

Until no later than 3.00 pm

Royal National Lifeboat Institution; WaveLength; National Trust

Until no later than 4.00 pm

Charities Aid Foundation; Charity Finance Group; Institute of Fundraising

Until no later than 4.45 pm

HM Treasury; HM Revenue and Customs

(3) proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 3; the Schedule; Clauses 4 to 21; 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 8.00 pm on Tuesday 30 October. —(Sajid Javid.)

Resolved,

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

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.—(Sajid Javid.)

The Committee deliberated in private.