Debates announced for 28 November

Thursday 28 November in the Chamber

• Launch of European Scrutiny Select Committee report on Reforming the European Scrutiny System in the House of Commons  (Member in charge: Mr William Cash, Chair of European Scrutiny Committee) (up to 20 mins)
• Debate on a motion relating to issues facing small businesses (Members in charge: Anne Marie Morris, Mr Brian Binley, Simon Danczuk, Graham Evans) 
• General debate on G8 summit on dementia  (Member in charge: Tracey Crouch, Hazel Blears,  Paul Burstow)

Thursday 28 November in Westminster Hall

• General debate on police procedures in dealing with mental health issues (Members in charge: Mrs Madeleine Moon, Paul Burstow, James Morris)
• General debate on retail and the high street (Members in charge: Ann Coffey, Justin Tomlinson)

Representations received

At its public meeting on Tuesday 19 November, the Committee heard representations from the following:

• William Bain for a debate on Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom
• Chris Skidmore for a debate on the law on dangerous driving

Backbench Business Committee

The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 3pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.

An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.

The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.

Further Information

• About Parliament: Select Committees
• How the Backbench Business Committee works