All EU heads of government will be present at the Cardiff summit which is being held to mark the end of the UK's six month stint at the presidency of the EU.

This Commons debate will give the government the opportunity to herald its record on its objectives of fighting unemployment, crime and drugs, and dealing with environmental issues. It will also give the opposition a chance to be critical.

The Conservatives see the past six months as a series of wasted opportunities. They are likely to accuse the government of undermining key negotiations by merely re-stating issues and decisions that had already been taken, for example heralding the start of negotiations on CAP reform as an achievement, when the issue was not when they would start but what they will achieve.

The Tories also see the mishandling of the single currency summit and the fudge over the issue of enlargement as symptomatic of the replacement of substantive policy development with soundbite politics.

Robin Cook and Doug Henderson will be speaking for the government, Michael Howard and Michael Trend for the Conservatives, and David Heath for the Liberal Democrats.

COMMONS

Questions

Education and Employment.

Business

Debate on the prospects for the Cardiff European Council on a motion for the adjournment of the House.

Evening Adjournment Debate

Imprisonment of Professor David Lowery in Portugal - Michael Clapham, Lab, Barnsley West and Penistone.

Select Committees

Health: Welfare of Former British Child Migrants 10:30am BST (9:30 GMT).

Witnesses: Barnardos, Children's Society, NCH Action for Children, and the Salvation Army.

Environment, Transport and the Regions: Housing 4:15pm BST (3:15 GMT).

Witnesses: Rt Hon John Prescott MP, Richard Caborn MP

In view of the decision to hold the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, will the government ask the European Union to urge the Greek government to take effective action against the "November 17th" group? Lord Bethell.

What percentage of the contributions paid for national insurance, pensions, occupational pension schemes and personal pensions goes on administrative costs? Baroness Castle of Blackburn.

In how many cases has a patient failed to attend a hospital appointment in 1996-97 and in 1997-98? What proportion of total hospital appointments do these absences represent in each year? Lord Hardy of Wath.

Business

National Minimum Wage Bill - Committee.

Tamar Bridge Bill - Second Reading.

Police (Northern Ireland) Bill in Grand Committee (Provisional).

NON-PARLIAMENTARY

Mansion House speech, the Chancellor will make his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet for bankers. He is expected to underline his commitment to Britain joining the single European currency and repeat his determination to accumulate budget surpluses each year.

Nuclear Special meeting of G8 group of leading industrialised nations to discuss Pakistan/India nuclear tests.

BSE Inquiry will hear evidence from Alan Dickinson, Director of Neuropathegenesis Unit, Edinburgh from 1981-87. Mr Dickinson took early retirement due to his disgust at the lack of funding for research into diseases like BSE.