– in a Public Bill Committee am ar 21 Ionawr 2025.
Edward Leigh
Father of the House of Commons
9:25,
21 Ionawr 2025
We are now sitting in public and proceedings are being broadcast. Today, we will consider the programme motion on the Amendment paper. We will then consider a motion to enable the reporting of written evidence for publication, and a motion to allow us to deliberate in private about our questions before the oral evidence sessions. In view of the time available, I hope that we can take these matters formally, without debate. I will first call the Minister to move the programme motion standing in her name, which was discussed yesterday by the Programming Sub-Committee for the Bill.
Ordered,
That—
1. the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 9.25 am on Tuesday 21 January) meet—
(a) at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 21 January;
(b) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 23 January;
(c) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 28 January;
(d) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 30 January;
(e) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 4 February;
(f) at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 6 February;
(g) at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 11 February;
2. the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following Table:
Date
Time
Witness
Until no later than 10.00 am
Coram; Centre for Young Lives
Until no later than 10.30 am
Association of Directors of Children’s Services; Local Government Association
Until no later than 11.00 am
Association of School and College Leaders; National Association of Head Teachers
Until no later than 11.25 am
Cafcass
Until no later than 2.20 pm
The Children’s Commissioner for England
Until no later than 2.40 pm
Ofsted
Until no later than 3.15 pm
The Children’s Society; Children’s Charities Coalition; Become
Until no later than 3.45 pm
Church of England; Catholic Education Service
Until no later than 4.20 pm
United Learning; Harris Federation; Dixons Academies Trust
Until no later than 4.55 pm
Suffolk Primary Headteachers’ Association; Northern Education Trust; Confederation of School Trusts
Until no later than 5.10 pm
Axiom Maths
Until no later than 5.25 pm
Child Poverty Action Group
Until no later than 5.45 pm
Department for Education
3. proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 29; Schedule 1; Clauses 30 to 54; Schedule 2; Clauses 55 to 60; 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 5.00 pm on Tuesday 11 February.—
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
