The Record Review

Lords accountability debate

In this week's edition we focus on how to hold government ministers and secretaries of state to account when they sit in the House of Lords.

This follows Peter Mandelson's appointment as business secretary in the upper House.

In our studio discussion, Lord Hunt of Wirral, the new secretary of state's opposite number, reassures Westminster and the electorate that he intends to hold Lord Mandelson to account on behalf of MPs.

Lord Hunt will be joined by Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, who believes that the cabinet should be made up of elected MPs.

Government of all the talents (Goats)

BBC Parliament's Alicia McCarthy also catches up with Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham.

As Lord Mandelson bows in, Lord Jones is bowing out as minister for trade and innovation.

Lord Jones was one of a number of high-profile ministers, often described as "Goats", who were drafted into government by Gordon Brown and appointed to the House of Lords.

Lord Jones tells us what it is like to be a minister in a Labour government but not a member of the Labour Party, and has some advice for Lord Mandelson.

The 'Westminster One' is freed

Peer can continue as MEP

A much-relieved Baroness Sarah Ludford joins us on the programme.

She's been told she can be released from her peerage, meaning she'll be able to continue sitting in Brussels as an MEP after the 2009 European Elections.

The European Parliament have banned MEPs from sitting in other national assemblies at the same time.

The government have said they will disqualify Lady Ludford as a life peer while she serves in the European Parliament.

Also speaking to us is Conservative peer Lord Trefgarne who opposed the government's disqualification plan.

Monkey business in the Commons

MP speaks up for primates

MP for The Wrekin, Mark Pritchard has been speaking up for monkeys across the world.

He thinks keeping primates as pets should be outlawed and if the practice doesn't stop, some species could become extinct.

Our reporter Andrew Wilson finds out why Mr Pritchard has decided to introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill on the subject.

Action-packed week

On Monday, the House of Lords threw out the government's plan to extend terror detention limits to 42 days.

Meanwhile, both the House of Commons and the Lords were told in a statement that the government was planning to pump £37bn of pounds of taxpayers' money into three UK banks in one of the UK's biggest nationalisations.

And across the water in Jersey, a referendum has taken place on whether to move away from Greenwich Meantime (GMT) over to Continental time.

To find out how the result went, and for a full review of politics in Westminster and beyond, watch The Record Review on BBC Parliament at 2300 on Fridays, 1100 on Sundays and 0900 on Monday.