IT does look as though we'll get to the Government's crazy "pay as you throw" proposals for domestic refuse in the Climate Change Bill committee tomorrow.

I expect two or three hours of fun (yes I do enjoy these things!) since most of the probing amendments are in my name on behalf of the Liberal Democrats.

But before then I have the "topical" at Question Time today, which means I'll have had to get up to catch the early train from Skipton!

Question Time in the House of Lords takes place for half an hour, each day from Monday to Thursday.

It's rather like Questions in the Commons, but unlike there it's not divided into a couple of different departments each day (with Prime Minister's Questions each Wednesday of course).

We have four questions a day and they can be on anything the Government has a responsibility for. You have to put questions down up to a month ahead, except for the last question on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays which is a "topical".

These have to be tabled two sitting days in advance and if there is more than one the Government whip's hold a ballot - I think they draw the winner out of a hat!

The ballot for today's was on Friday and I was lucky with a question about teaching geography.

The schools and colleges inspection outfit Ofsted have just published a report on the subject called "Geography in Schools - Changing Practice" which reports on a subject in decline.

It's a long time since I laid claim to any expertise in geography teaching - whether I was any good I'll leave to my former students at Colne Grammar School and Nelson and Colne College.

But it seems extraordinary that in these days when "geography" is so prominent on every news bulletin and when we live in the world of the global economy, mass travel and the internet, the subject is not riding high in the curriculum.

Instead, many young people seem to have less understanding of their place in the world than ever before.

We'll see today what the Government has to say.