Select Committee nominations: There are 30 motions on the Order Paper to fill some of the remaining seats on select committees. Most Conservative and Labour members of the departmental select committees were appointed last week, after internal party elections. Monday’s motions will now appoint primarily Liberal Democrats to these vacant seats.

Some committees still have one or two vacancies but most select committees will now be able to get to work.

To date, apart from the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Affairs Committees, all members of select committees are drawn from Labour, Conservative, or Liberal Democrat ranks, with the sole exception of Green Party MP Ellie Chowns, who has joined the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). This arrangement mirrors that in the previous Parliament, where former Green MP Caroline Lucas also held a seat on the EAC.

An interesting trend among the new appointees is the high number of MPs from the 2024 intake. On the Welsh Affairs Committee Plaid Cymru have secured two seats. However, on the Scottish Affairs Committee it looks like the Scottish National Party (SNP) will have just one seat, although the name of their member has not yet been published. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee may have up to 13 members of which 12 have been publicly confirmed: seven Labour MPs (including the Chair), two Conservatives and one each from the Liberal Democrats, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party. This leaves one vacant spot which will presumably go to one of the Unionist parties, most likely the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). If the DUP gains this outstanding seat on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Reform UK will be the only party with more than one MP lacking representation on any select committee.

Questions and statements: At 14:30, Ministers from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will answer questions from MPs. Nine of the 25 questions on the Order Paper are identical to at least one other, which often indicates coordination by party Whips or the Minister’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, as we’ve noted in previous Bulletins. Questions cover the supply of housing, access to broadband and mobile signal, and plans to reform the leasehold system.

Any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow. The Prime Minister may update the House on discussions at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa.

Main business: A general debate on ‘Remembrance and the Contribution of Veterans’ is scheduled. Since the Budget debate will dominate the House’s agenda from Wednesday until the House rises for recess next week, this is one of the last opportunities for the House to discuss veterans’ issues in advance of Remembrance Sunday.

Adjournment: The Labour MP Laura Kyrke-Smith has the adjournment debate on protections for nature-rich and agricultural land.

House of Lords: The day starts with oral questions on unregistered children’s homes, the Medical Research Council, legal protections for whistleblowers, and women’s state pension age.

The main business is the first day of Committee Stage for the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which proposes significant regulatory changes for water companies (see this previous edition of the Bulletin for more information).

Following this, there will be a short debate on the UK’s role in safeguarding freedom of religion and belief in South Asia, led by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, a long-serving former Foreign Office Minister.

Need to keep up with legislative changes?The Hansard Society's Statutory Instrument Tracker® provides quick and efficient access to the latest updates. It covers consultations on Statutory Instruments (SIs) and tracks every stage of the parliamentary process in both Houses. With the SI Tracker®, you can customise alerts and updates based on your specific policy interests and compliance requirements. Save time and reduce risk by subscribing to our intuitive online app to stay ahead of the latest legislative developments.

Questions and statements: At 11:30, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Treasury Ministers will face questions from MPs. Seven of the 25 questions on the Order Paper are duplicates of at least one other, with Labour MPs keen to ask the Chancellor what steps she plans to take to help improve living standards and what progress is being made to increase economic growth. Any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow.

Ten Minute Rule Bill: Tuesday will see the first Ten Minute Rule Motion of the new Parliament, with the Conservative MP Alberto Costa seeking permission to bring in a bill on microplastic filters for washing machines.

Ten Minute Rule Bills are essentially policy aims put into legislative language in order to secure a 10-minute speaking slot during ‘primetime’ in the House of Commons Chamber after Question Time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (but not on Budget day). The MP moving a Ten Minute Rule Bill is permitted 10 minutes to make his or her case, after which if there is a Member who is opposed to the bill they have a similar amount of time to state his or her objections.

If no MP objects, then the Bill is introduced without a vote. If an MP does give an opposing speech, then the Speaker will put the question: whether the MP should have leave to bring in the Bill. If no MP objects (shouts ‘No’), then the Bill is introduced without a vote; otherwise, a division is required.

However, Ten Minute Rule Bills rarely become law as there is seldom time for them to be considered further. Nevertheless, they are a useful mechanism for MPs to generate debate, raise awareness, or test the opinion of the House.

See our Hansard Society guide for more information about the parliamentary procedure for Ten Minute Rule Bills.

Main business: Remaining stages (Report and Third Reading) of the Great British Energy Bill. This legislation will establish a new energy company wholly owned by the Government, to be known as Great British Energy, with the role of facilitating, encouraging and participating in the production, distribution, storage and supply of clean energy. The Secretary of State will be required to lay before Parliament a statement of “strategic priorities” for Great British Energy.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security, Claire Coutinho, has tabled a number of amendments. If they are in order and are selected by the Speaker, the amendments in her name which currently (as of the 27 October) have the most signatures, and which may therefore be pushed to a division, include:

• an amendment requiring the statement of GB Energy’s strategic priorities to include the reduction of household energy bills by £300 by 2030. This reflects a pledge made by Labour before the election that their plans would save families up to £300 on their energy bills. This amendment has acquired signatures from 27 other Conservative MPs.

• an amendment requiring the Secretary of State to direct GB Energy to report on progress made towards that £300 strategic priority.

There is also an interesting amendment tabled by Labour backbencher Sarah Champion, which seeks to add wording – “ensuring respect for human rights in the production, distribution, storage and supply of clean energy” – to the list of objectives for Great British Energy. The amendment has cross-party support from 12 MPs, including five Labour, two Conservatives (including the party’s former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith), four Greens, and one SNP member. The Liberal Democrats also have an amendment which seeks to require the statement of strategic priorities to give special regard to community-based clean energy schemes.

Select Committees: With the membership of most select committees being finalised on Monday, several committees will meet for the first time in private on Tuesday, including the Business and Trade, Foreign Affairs, and Justice committees.

Public Bill Committees (PBCs): With oral evidence from expert witnesses now complete, members of the PBC will begin their first substantive day of detailed consideration of the Renters’ Rights Bill. At the time of writing 32 pages of amendments have been put down. The largest number of amendments – 40 to date – are in the name of the architect of the Bill, Angela Rayner. It is not uncommon for the Government to table amendments to its own bills at both Committee and Report stage. However, this often suggests rushed or otherwise inadequate preparation of the bill at the earlier development and drafting stages. Making significant changes to a bill at this point is generally seen as poor legislative practice because it hinders parliamentary scrutiny, since these additional provisions were not part of the bill when it was given its Second Reading.

Statutory Instruments: An intriguing Statutory Instrument will be debated in a Delegated Legislation Committee: the draft Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (Amendment) Order 2024. This Order will extend to Northern Ireland the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme, which mandates an increasing share of new vehicle sales in Great Britain to be zero-emission vehicles. Previously, the Scheme could not be extended to Northern Ireland because it required the approval of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which was not sitting. The Scheme stirred controversy when initially presented to the House in December 2023, with 26 Conservative and eight DUP MPs rebelling and voting against the Government.

Adjournment: The Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Dyke has the adjournment debate on World Stroke Day.

Westminster Hall: There are five Westminster Hall debates on: online safety for children and young people; diabetes treatments; Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences; potential merits of a new Lower Thames Crossing; and transition to zero-emission vans.

House of Lords: The day starts with oral questions, including on gender in the Olympics and Paralympics, and on reducing youth unemployment and economic inactivity. There is also a question from the former Conservative Work and Pensions Minister, Viscount Younger of Leckie, about support for pensioners during the winter. Expect a pointed question about the impact of cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment.

The main business is the third day of Committee Stage for the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill. Of the 47 amendments tabled to the Bill, only one remains to be disposed of, before the House moves on to consider seven proposed new clauses. At the end of the second day of Committee stage, tensions rose when, despite a four-hour sitting addressing dozens of amendments, the Government and Opposition could not agree on arrangements to conclude the final amendment. Expressing frustration, Lord Kennedy of Southwark remarked, “In all my years as Opposition Chief Whip, I have never been in a situation where one amendment cannot be finished off.” The Committee Stage is expected to wrap up during today’s sitting.

After Committee Stage, Peers will debate three Statutory Instruments, including the Order extending the Vehicle Zero Emissions Mandate to Northern Ireland. Another Statutory Instrument implements the plan announced by the previous Government to devolve the building safety levy to the Scottish Government.

Summaries of Wednesday and Thursday's parliamentary business continues below!

Questions and statements: At 11:30, Scotland Office Ministers will face questions from MPs. None of the 15 questions on the Order Paper are duplicates.

At 12:00, the Prime Minister will face his weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions. Barring any unexpected developments this will be Rishi Sunak’s last appearance at PMQs before he steps down as Leader of the Opposition. Any Urgent Questions or Ministerial Statements will follow.

Budget Statement: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves will deliver the first Labour Budget Statement in over 14 years — and make history as the first female Chancellor to do so. The Chancellor’s speech is the first of a four-stage process to secure parliamentary approval of the Government’s taxation plans. Following the Chancellor’s address, the next stages will be the Budget debate, the Budget resolutions and the Finance Bill. You can read more about each of these in our Hansard Society procedural guide to the Budget.

Once the Chancellor concludes her speech, two immediate motions will be put to the House.

1. Provisional Collection of Taxes motion: this grants temporary authority for certain changes in taxes and duties that the Government proposes should take effect on Budget day, particularly in relation to those changes where market risks – such as stockpiling of products – may arise as a result of any delay. This motion will be agreed immediately, without debate, so that the provisions can come into effect later in the day or overnight.

2. Ways and Means motion: this is the motion on which the Budget debate will take place. The Government will table either an Income Tax (Charge) motion or an Amendment of the Law motion. The choice has implications for what MPs can later do at the Committee and Report stages of the Finance Bill (see more below).

After these motions have been put to the House, the Leader of the Opposition will respond to the Budget. With the Conservative Party leadership contest set to finish next Saturday (2 November), this may be Rishi Sunak’s final appearance at the Despatch Box.

The Budget debate will continue for a further four sitting days, concluding on Wednesday 6 November. Each day of the debate will focus on a different set of policy areas, although these themes are yet to be announced.

With the new Conservative Party leader to be announced on Saturday 2 November it remains uncertain who will represent the Official Opposition in the Budget debate from Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 November. Will Rishi Sunak’s shadow frontbench team, appointed after the general election, lead the responses? Or will the new leader reshuffle the frontbench in time for newly appointed Shadow Cabinet members to speak to their designated policy areas?

At the close of the Budget debate on Wednesday 6 November, a series of Ways and Means motions will be put to the House. Typically numbering in the dozens, each motion covers a specific proposed change to taxes or duties. Once approved, these motions become the Budget resolutions and serve as ‘founding’ resolutions for the Finance Bill. These Budget resolutions are procedurally important because they set the boundaries on potential amendments to the Finance Bill, as any amendment outside the scope of the resolutions cannot be debated, let alone made.

The type of motion the Government chooses for the first Ways and Means motion – introduced immediately after the Chancellor’s Budget statement - is therefore important. If the Government tables an Income Tax (Charge) motion it restricts the scope for amendments at the Committee and Report stages of the Finance Bill solely to those matters covered by the Budget resolutions. However, if it tables an Amendment of the Law motion, it opens the door for a broader range of amendments to be proposed, addressing matters not covered by the other Budget resolutions (although the Government may attach some limiting conditions to the motion, in relation, for example, to VAT or income tax thresholds).

Historically the Amendment of the Law motion was introduced to enable the Opposition to propose alternative tax proposals. Although the Government is not required to put forward an Amendment of the Law motion, it was a common practice until 2018 — except when a general election was imminent or had recently taken place (weeks not months before). Since 2018, however, no Government has tabled this motion following a Budget Statement, demonstrating what some view as excessive Government control over the House of Commons. In a politically precarious situation, a government might understandably not wish to facilitate broader debate. However, with a working majority of 166, there is little justification for the Labour Government to continue this restrictive trend.

Rachel Reeves’ choice of motion on Budget day will therefore be revealing: it will be an indicator of the Government’s willingness to engage with alternative views, and whether it prioritises ministerial control and convenience over robust parliamentary scrutiny.

Following the vote on the initial Ways and Means motion, the remaining motions are put to the House for approval in batches, en bloc in numerical sequence, except where the opposition parties have secured a division on a specific motion. Typically, MPs approve these motions en bloc 'on the voices', where MPs signal their stance by shouting “aye” or “no”, with the Speaker determining the outcome based on the loudest response. However, on a few of the motions the opposition parties will force a division, requiring MPs to formally record their votes by walking through the “aye” or “no” voting lobbies beside the Chamber. In theory a single MP could object to any of the en bloc motions, and the Chair would have to grant a division. In practice, given that there are dozens of Ways and Means motions to approve and divisions can take up to 20 minutes each, only a few of them are usually subject to a formal, recorded vote.

After the Ways and Means motions are approved, the Budget process moves to its fourth and final stage: the Finance Bill, which gives statutory effect to the proposals set out in the Budget Statement. Parliament’s process for considering the Finance Bill is set out in our Hansard Society’s guide: ‘What is the Finance Bill?’. Second Reading of the Finance Bill must take place within 30 sitting days of the Budget resolutions being approved and it must become law - complete all its parliamentary stages and secure Royal Assent - within seven months.

Select Committees: The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee will hear from two academics about the historical context and administration of the Chagos Islands.

The Lords Constitution Committee will take evidence from the Institute for Government about ministerial and executive responsibility for different elements of the UK Constitution.

Adjournment: The Conservative MP Dr Andrew Murrison has the adjournment debate on Government policy on Western Sahara.

Westminster Hall: There are five Westminster Hall debates today, on funding for children’s hospices; quality and availability of childcare in the Black Country; NHS readiness for winter 2024-25; COP29 and international climate finance; and the impact of roadworks on journey times.

House of Lords: The day begins with oral questions about opportunities for young people to volunteer abroad; accommodation of migrant children in hotels; and legal rights for British nationals to consular assistance for human rights violations.

The main business is debates on two items of legislation:

• Report Stage of the Arbitration Bill, which implements recommendations made by the Law Commission for reform of the Arbitration Act 1996.

• Committee Stage (2nd day) of the Water (Special Measures) Bill (see Monday for more information). This is expected to be the final day of Committee Stage.

Questions and statements: At 9:30, Business and Trade Ministers will answer questions from MPs. Nine out of the 25 questions on the Order Paper are duplicates of at least one other question covering support for high street businesses, reforms to or abolition of business rates and support to enable small businesses to scale-up. Any Urgent Questions will follow.

Barring any Urgent Questions, the Leader of the House will make her weekly Business Statement in the Chamber at 10:30. The statement will set out the forthcoming business for the following week.

Any other Ministerial Statements will follow.

Main business: The main business is continuation of the Budget debate. The Shadow Chancellor typically opens the debate on the second day. As with Rishi Sunak, this may also be Jeremy Hunt’s final appearance on the frontbench.

Adjournment: The Labour MP Oliver Ryan has the adjournment debate on implementation of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review.

Westminster Hall: There are two Westminster Hall debates today, on SEND provision in Hampshire; and potential merits of a cancer strategy in England.

House of Lords: The day begins with oral questions, on support for Railway 200 to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the modern railway; representation of young people in government policy development and decision-making processes, in light of the report ‘Youth Voices 2024’ published by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; and eliminating the need for foodbanks.

Peers will then hold two further debates, on the contribution of the community and voluntary sector to society across the UK; and the contribution of science and technology to the UK economy.

Grand Committee is also taken up by four one-hour debates about deterrence in UK defence policy; the benefits of diets with adequate fat content; the roadmap to spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defence; and the impact of tax on employment.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords are not sitting.