A debate in the House of Commons about children’s social care, selected by the Backbench Business Committee, is scheduled to take place later on today. The motion, led by Tim Loughton MP, is entitled, “That this House has considered children’s social care in England.” No exact time for the debate has been given, though it is likely to take place after 4pm. The debate forms part of an agenda which will explore several topics, including baby loss awareness week.

The session, which begins at 2.30pm, will start with prayers, a practice which takes place in both the Lords and the Commons, and will then move on to Private Business. Today’s Private Business is the University of London Bill, whose parliamentary agent is law firm Pinsent Masons LLP, and which has been sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope. Chope is perhaps best known as the Conservative politician who tried to block a Bill  which aimed to make Upskirting a criminal offence.

That Business will then be followed by 21 oral questions about justice, which will be fielded to the Secretary of State For Justice, David Gauke MP. Questions include:

• What steps is the Government taking to improve the court experience for victims and witnesses?
• What discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Education on breaking the link between school exclusion and prison?
• What steps is the Government taking to ensure that vulnerable people are protected by the justice system?
• What assessment has he made of the role of employment and education in reducing rates of reoffending?

Questions will then be followed by Business Of The Day, which today features a ten minute discussion, referred to as a Ten Minute Rule Motion, about assaults on people working in the retail sector. It is in this section of the agenda that the Backbench Business Committee is able to raise its debates, and where the discussion around children’s social care will take place.

The first debate will be about Baby Loss Awareness week, which aims to raise awareness around miscarriages and baby deaths in other contexts. Baby Loss Awareness week starts today and runs until 15th October.

The second debate is about children’s social care in England. The agenda paper tells us that these debates could run any time from around 4pm, until 10pm, however we will do our best to tweet the debate as it happens if we can. For anyone unable to watch the debate live, you will be able to read a transcript of the discussion in the Hansard, usually within 24 hours of the debate being held.

If you would like to watch the debate, you can do so by tuning in to Parliament TV.