Contents
Chamber business
The House met at 11.30 am.
Prayers
1Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
2Statement: Spring Forecast (Chancellor of the Exchequer)
3Armed Conflict (Requirements) Bill: Presentation (Standing Order No. 57)
Dr Ellie Chowns, supported by Siân Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Hannah Spencer, John McDonnell, Clive Lewis, Ben Lake and Claire Hanna, presented a Bill to require that, before armed forces may be deployed for armed conflict, a Minister of the Crown must publish a statement setting out the reasons for the deployment, an assessment of its compliance with international law, the objective of the deployment and an assessment of the viability of that objective; to require the approval in advance of any such deployment by a resolution of the House of Commons; to provide for equivalent requirements to apply to the use of UK military bases for the deployment of foreign armed forces for armed conflict; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 6 March and to be printed (Bill 396).
4Geotechnical data: Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)
Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the collection of, setting of standards relating to, and secure sharing of geotechnical data derived from ground and site investigations; to require the integration of such data into the National Underground Asset Register; to confer duties on statutory undertakers and public authorities in connection with certain such data; and for connected purposes;
That Mike Reader, Alistair Strathern, Mr Luke Charters, Noah Law, Kirsteen Sullivan, Rachel Taylor, Perran Moon, Ms Polly Billington, James Naish, Lizzi Collinge, Amanda Hack and Cat Eccles present the Bill.
Mike Reader accordingly presented the Bill.
Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 17 April, and to be printed (Bill 395).
5Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill: Programme (No. 2)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill for the purpose of supplementing the Order of 11 June 2025 (Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill: Programme):
Consideration of Lords Amendments
(1) Proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion two hours after their commencement.
Subsequent stages
(2) Any further Message from the Lords may be considered forthwith without any Question being put.
(3) Proceedings on any further Message from the Lords shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour after their commencement.—(Stephen Morgan.)
Question agreed to.
6Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments
Lords Amendment 1 agreed to.
Lords Amendments 2 to 6 agreed to.
7Statutory Instruments: Motions for Approval
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), That the draft National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which were laid before this House on 2 February, be approved.—(Jade Botterill.)
Question agreed to.
Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that His Majesty will appoint Rashik Parmar as an Electoral Commissioner with effect from 31 March 2026 for the period ending 30 March 2030.—(Sir Alan Campbell.)
9Adjournment (Easter, May Bank Holiday and Whitsun)
Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 25), That this House, at its rising on Thursday 26 March 2026, do adjourn until Monday 13 April 2026; at its rising on Thursday 30 April 2026, do adjourn until Tuesday 5 May 2026; and at its rising on Thursday 21 May 2026, do adjourn until Monday 1 June 2026.—(Sir Alan Campbell.)
Question agreed to.
10Delegated Legislation (Financial Assistance to Industry)
Ordered, That the Motion in the name of Secretary Liz Kendall relating to Financial Assistance to Industry shall be treated as if it related to an instrument subject to the provisions of Standing Order No. 118 (Delegated Legislation Committees) in respect of which notice has been given that the instrument be approved.—(Sir Alan Campbell.)
Ordered, That notices of Amendments, new Clauses and new Schedules to be moved in Committee in respect of the Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Bill may be accepted by the Clerks at the Table before it has been read a second time.—(Sir Alan Campbell.)
A public petition from residents of the constituency of Bootle, Merseyside relating to the A5036 Park Lane footbridge was presented and read by Peter Dowd.
Subject: Local authorities and SEND provision (Chris Coghlan)
Resolved, That this House do now adjourn.—(Nesil Caliskan.)
Adjourned at 4.20 pm until tomorrow.
Other Proceedings
Private Business
14Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]
The Chairman of Ways and Means reported from the Committee on Unopposed Bills:
(1) That it had examined the allegations contained in the Preamble to the Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords] and had found the same to be true; and had gone through the Bill and made Amendments.
Bill, as amended in the Committee, to lie upon the Table.
(2) a Special Report agreed to by the Committee on Unopposed Bills on the Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords].
Ordered, That the Report, and the Formal Minutes relating to the Report, lie upon the Table and be printed (HC 1659).
Changes to Notices Given
15Letter Boxes (Positioning) Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 13 March, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 17 April.
General Committees: Reports
16Second Delegated Legislation Committee
Carolyn Harris (Chair) reported the draft Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2026.
17Third Delegated Legislation Committee
Sir Alec Shelbrooke (Chair) reported the draft Electricity Supplier Payments (Amendment) Regulations 2026.
18Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee
Esther McVey (Chair) reported the draft Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2026.
General Committees: Appointments
The Speaker appoints the Chair of General Committees and members of Programming Sub-Committees, and allocates Statutory Instruments to Delegated Legislation Committees.
The Committee of Selection nominates Members to serve on General Committees (and certain Members to serve on Grand Committees).
19Fifth Delegated Legislation Committee (draft Climate Change Levy (Fuel Use and Recycling Processes) (Amendment) Regulations 2026)
Members: Pippa Heylings discharged and Claire Young nominated in substitution.
Select Committees: Reports
Record of the Committee’s discussions at its meeting on Tuesday 3 March, to be published (Nick Smith).
21Armed Forces Bill (Select Committee on)
Armed Forces Bill 2026: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1712) (Clive Efford).
22Backbench Business Committee
(1) 15th Anniversary of the Backbench Business Committee: Government Response: Second Special Report, to be printed (HC 1740);
(2) Transcript of representations made on Tuesday 3 March, to be published
(Bob Blackman).
23Culture, Media and Sport Committee
(1) Children’s TV and video content: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1338);
(2) Charity Commission 2025–26 Supplementary Estimate Memorandum: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with Gordon Moody: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2025–26 Supplementary Estimate Memorandum: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) National Archives 2025–26 Supplementary Estimate Memorandum: Written evidence, to be published;
(6) Protecting built heritage: Written evidence, to be published (HC 594);
(7) State of play: Elite deaf athletes and the Deaflympics: Written evidence, to be published (HC 845);
(8) The work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Written evidence, to be published (HC 330)
(Dame Caroline Dinenage).
(1) Defence in the high north: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1684);
(2) Correspondence with the Chancellor of the Exchequer relating to a request to appear before the Committee: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Investment Plan: Written evidence, to be published
(Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi).
(1) Reading for pleasure: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1528);
(2) Correspondence from the Secretary of State relating to the Schools White Paper and SEND consultation: Written evidence, to be published;
(3) Early years: Improving support for children and families: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1264);
(4) Higher education and funding: Threat of insolvency and international students: Written evidence, to be published (HC 807);
(5) Historical forced adoption: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1713)
(Helen Hayes).
26Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
(1) Work of the Department and its arm's-length bodies: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 415);
(2) Animal and plant health: Written evidence, to be published (HC 611);
(3) Fairness in the food supply chain: Written evidence, to be published (HC 589);
(4) Fisheries and the marine environment: Written evidence, to be published (HC 680);
(5) Preventing waste and enabling a circular economy: Written evidence, to be published (HC 929);
(6) Reforming the water sector: Written evidence, to be published (HC 588);
(7) The future of farming: Written evidence, to be published (HC 527)
(Mr Alistair Carmichael).
Dame Karen Bradley reported:
(1) That the Committee had agreed that the negative procedure should apply, as proposed, to the instrument titled:
Trafficking People for Exploitation (Amendment) Regulations 2026;
(2) Harnessing the potential of new digital forms of identification: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 986);
(3) Correspondence from the Minister for Border Security and Asylum relating to the Sentencing Act 2026 foreign national offender provisions: Written evidence, to be published;
(4) Correspondence with the Home Secretary relating to the work of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration: Written evidence, to be published;
(5) Football policing: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1553).
28Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
(1) Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill: Oral and written evidence, to be published (HC 1681);
(2) Affordability of home ownership: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1208);
(3) Grenfell and building safety: Written evidence, to be published (HC 780);
(4) Housing conditions in England: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1154);
(5) Property management companies: Written evidence, to be published (HC 980)
(Florence Eshalomi).
29International Development Committee
(1) The UK’s international climate finance: Oral evidence, to be published (HC 1561);
(2) Future of UK aid and development assistance: Written evidence, to be published (HC 1330)
(Sarah Champion).
*This item has been corrected since publication. See the Votes and Proceedings relating to Wednesday 4 March 2026.
(1) Correspondence with the Lord Chancellor: Written evidence, to be published;
(2) Rehabilitation and resettlement: ending the cycle of reoffending: Written evidence, to be published (HC 469)
(Andy Slaughter).
(1) Record of the Committee’s decisions relating to e-petitions, to be published;
(2) List of closed e-petitions presented to the House, to be published;
(3) Correspondence with the Jewish Leadership Council relating to e-petition 752646: Written evidence, to be published
(Jamie Stone).
32Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Correspondence from the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, relating to eVisas: Written evidence, to be published (Dame Chi Onwurah).
Correspondence from the Secretary of State relating to common frameworks: Written evidence, to be published (Ruth Cadbury).
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
Speaker
Westminster Hall
The sitting began at 9.30 am.
Business appointed by the Chairman of Ways and Means (Standing Order No. 10(6))
1Strengthening community cohesion
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered the matter of strengthening community cohesion.—(John Slinger.)
At 11 am, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(6)).
2Experience of cancer patients with accident and emergency services at North Middlesex Hospital
Resolved, That this House has considered the experience of cancer patients with accident and emergency services at North Middlesex Hospital.—(Kate Osamor.)
The sitting was suspended between 11.18 am and 2.30 pm (Standing Order No. 10(1)(b)).
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered the small charity sector.—(Sir Iain Duncan Smith.)
The Chair announced a time limit on backbench speeches (under the authority of the Chairman of Ways and Means and Standing Order No. 47(1)).
Resolved, That this House has considered the small charity sector.
4Government support for environmental health inspections of funeral premises
Resolved, That this House has considered Government support for environmental health inspections of funeral premises.—(Mark Sewards.)
The sitting was suspended between 4.23 pm and 4.30 pm.
5Environmental protections and biodiversity trends
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House has considered environmental protections and biodiversity trends.—(Chris Hinchliff.)
The Chair announced a time limit on backbench speeches (under the authority of the Chairman of Ways and Means and Standing Order No. 47(1)).
At 5.30 pm, the Motion lapsed (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Sitting adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 10(14)).
Adjourned at 5.30 pm until tomorrow.
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Chairman of Ways and Means
Papers Laid
Papers subject to Negative Resolution
REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 195), dated 2 March 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Emma Reynolds)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 202), dated 2 March 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum and an Impact Assessment (by Command) (Dr Zubir Ahmed)
Agreement, done at London on 26 January 2026, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Italian Republic on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (CP 1527) (by Command), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Act) (Secretary Yvette Cooper)
Parole Board (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 204), dated 3 March 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary David Lammy)
Social Security and Statutory Maternity Pay (Evidence of Pregnancy and Compensation of Employers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 201), dated 2 March 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Andrew Western)
Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) (No. 3) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI, 2026, No. 206), dated 2 March 2026 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Matthew Pennycook)
Other papers
7Budget Responsibility and National Audit
Office for Budget Responsibility: Economic and fiscal outlook (by Act) (Dan Tomlinson)