The prime minister is due to start at 12.30pm. The broadcasters are almost certainly going to want a comment from him on the House of Lords immigration report and Zimbabwe, but it's not one of those days when one huge story is preoccupying the Westminster lobby and so we might get questions on a particularly wide range of topics.
Gordon Brown at his monthly press conference today. Photograph: Stephen Hird/Reuters
12.30pm BST
Brown is starting with an overview of the financial situation. His task is to "steer people" through the instability.
The chancellor is calling for prompt disclosure of financial losses by the big City institutions. The government will "maintain the discipline against inflation".
But the government will also do more. There will be better credit facilities for small businesses. And hope for first-time home buyers, through the government's shared ownership scheme.
Next week there will be a progressive governance summit. Brown will met with some other leaders and press for an early conclusion to the Doha trade round.
Immigration
Adam Boulton of Sky News asks if Brown accepts that immigration has not benefit the UK population, particularly the low-paid.
Brown quotes the head of the British Chambers of Commerce, who says the value of immigration has been substantial.
He avoids Boulton's point, which is that the House of Lords questioned the benefit of immigration to the population as a whole. The peers accepted that immigration benefited employers.
Brown also explains the new points-based immigration system being introduced this year. And he insists that the government is making allowance for the demand placed on services.
12.35pm
It's important to "get the balance right", he says. He uses the phrase twice.
And those proposing a cap on immigration - the Conservative party and the Lords committee - have to recognise that this would not cover EU entrants.
A cap would cover only 20% of possible migrants, Brown says.
(Although you can make the same point about the points-based immigration system, which also does not cover immigrants from other EU countries.)
GDP per head has risen from seventh in the G8 in 1997, to second in the G8 now, Brown adds.
Looking ahead, the points system, the migration advisory committee, tougher sanctions on employer employing illegal immigrants, and increases in the minimum wage show that the government is introducing many of the Lords committee's recommendations.
Tom Bradby asks if this means Brown does not accept the conclusions of the Lords report.
Brown says he has answered the report in some respects: the points system, the requirement for immigrants to contribute to society, a clampdown on rogue employers, a migration advisory committee.
He as dealt with "many of the problems that people say do exist".
James Landale of the BBC asks about the report's conclusion that levels of net immigration are too high.
Brown explains how the points system works.
Where the government decides that Britain does not need any more workers with designated skills, those workers will not be admitted.
12.40pm
So it will exclude some immigrants, he suggests. He repeats his point about a capping system only affecting 20% of immigrants.
On capping, he says he does not want to close down the option of people with essential skills being able to enter Britain.
Drugs
Andy Bell of Five News asks if it was a mistake to reclassify cannabis from class B to class C.
Brown says he has already made his views known, and that given the changing nature of the stock of cannabis coming into the country, he thinks there is a stronger case for sending out a signal that cannabis use should not be encouraged.
In other words, he does not explicitly say it should be reclassified - but he implies it very strongly.
But he says he will wait for the recommendations of the advisory committee.
12.45pm
Iraq
Brown says moving to "overwatch" status was the right decision in Basra.
He wants the Iraqis to take more responsibility for their security and says that the main job of British troops in future will be training Iraqis.
He says he does not want to comment on the recent clampdown in Basra, which was ordered by the Iraqi government without apparent consultation with the British.
The economy
Bob Roberts of the Mirror asks about rising prices. When will things get better?
Brown points out that he has frozen petrol duty, as a recognition "of the problems that people are facing".
And pensioners are getting more from the winter fuel allowance.
And child benefit and the child tax credit are going up this week.
But commodity prices are going up by 60-80% around the world, Brown goes on. His main aim is to make it possible for the economy to continue to grow.
And now he's on to the early 1990s (perhaps taking Michael White's advice) reminding us of the days of 15% interest rates.
Brown points out that the government by now, in contrast, is keeping inflation down. The government is taking action in all the areas it can.
The Olympics
What does Brown have to say to anyone thinking of disrupting the passage of the Olympic torch through London at the weekend?
And what could Britain learn from the French about binge drinking? (The Guardian's exclusive on Carla Sarkozy gets a nod.)
Brown says the government is acting on binge drinking. And he's sorry about the problems at Heathrow's new Terminal 5.
On Sunday Brown will be in London to welcome the Olympic torch. He says the Dalai Lama is not in favour of the Olympics being stopped. Regarding Tibet, he appeals for restraint on both sides, pointing out that the Dalai Lama accepts that there will not be an independent Tibet
12.50pm
Australia on the UN security council
An Australian journalist wants to know if Brown would support Australia's bid for a seat on the UN security council. And he also asks about Afghanistan.
Brown compliments him for asking two questions at once: "You've already learned the rules here."
Kevin Rudd, the new Australian PM, is coming to London and Brown is looking forward to meeting him.
Brown says he supports reform of the UN security council, but he will not be drawn on the prospect of Australia getting a permanent seat.
Re: Iraq, he intends to discuss "burden-sharing" at this week's Nato summit.
Nick Clegg's sex life
A Radio 1 journalist asks about Nick Clegg's interview with Piers Morgan in GQ.
Does Brown think it is appropriate for politicians to talk about issues like this?
Brown says the lesson he learnt from the interview was not to discuss these things at all.
Iraq/Iran
Brown says he wants peace in Basra. But the Iraqi authorities are right to take action against the militants.
He wants to see local government established in Basra.
British youth
Catherine Mayer of Time magazine asks about the Time cover story about the (unsavoury) state of British youth.
How concerned is Brown about the British kids who are "unhappy, unloved and out of control"?
12.55pm
Brown says he is particularly concerned about children who fall through the net, and he specifies children in care.
He points out that the government is taking steps to help them.
And he also talks about the steps the government is taking to improve training for children who miss out on educational opportunities.
Outsiders should not ignore the government's record on child poverty, he goes on.
"For the vast majority of children and young people, the investment ... is paying off."
But a "small minority" have fallen through the net. They need one-to-one help, which the government is offering.
Visit to US
A Fox journalist asks if Brown will establish a warmer relationship with George Bush. And has Brown endorsed Obama?
1pm
Brown says he has said that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would make great presidents, and he has enjoyed meeting John McCain (although he does not say that McCain would make a great president - perhaps an omission, rather than a deliberate Democrat endorsement).
He says he has a good relationship with Bush, but he does not talk about the relationship with any warmth. He says that he and Bush will be talking about the world economy when they meet.
Brown believes it is time for the international institutions like the IMF to be reformed for the 21st century.
Public services
A Newsnight journalist asks what the "Brown recipe" for change in public services is. And how does it differ from Blair's?
Brown says the government has already moved through two stages of choice - investment and choices - and now it's on to a third stage, involving personalisation. People want hospital services based around what is convenient for them, not what is convenient for others.
That's why today the government is announcing health check-ups for adults over 40 at risk of various diseases.
So "the service personal to people's needs is what we are talking about for the future". The user will be in the driving seat.
Very soon he will issue a "call to professionals" saying he wants to achieve world class services in areas like health, education and social services.
Middle East
Does Brown think a Palestinian state will be established this year? And is he still planning a London conference on the issue?
Brown mentions Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair and others who are working hard for peace. He says he has offered to hold a London conference, but does not confirm it will take place.
He is "optimistic" that he can move things forward.
Iraq
Carol Walker from the BBC asks if Brown accepts that troop levels in Iraq will have to remain as they are now.
Brown says there are currently 4,000 troops in Iraq and that it is for Des Browne, the defence secretary, to make an announcement. (Browne is making a statement in the Commons later today.)
1.10pm
Zimbabwe
Is Brown confident that the election result will be fair?
Brown says it is "very important that the democratic rights of the people of Zimbabwe are .. upheld".
He's calling for the results to be published now. The "eyes of the world" will be upon Zimbabwe.
He has talked to Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general, and the president of the African Union about the situation in Zimbabwe.
The economy
Is Brown worried about the impact of banks tightening mortgage requirements? Brown says tight public sector pay settlements have helped to keep inflation down.
But he recognises that circumstances are difficult for some buyers. As a result of money made available in the budget, the government can expand shared ownership schemes.
But the most important thing government can do is create the conditions for "stability and growth".
Another journalist asks about Brown's plans to encourage transnational stability in the financial markets, an issue that Brown will discuss when he visits the US.
Brown says he expects reforms in this area. He wants high standards of disclosure and changes to the way credit rating agencies work, so that they do not advise and rate at the same time.
Write-offs should also be independently validated. And financial regulators should be in daily contact with each other.
Some of these changes can be agreed "in the next few days".
1.15pm
Terrorism legislation
Is the proposed 42-day pre-charge detention period a substitute for "action on the ground"?
Brown says all the political parties accept that circumstances may arise where the police need to hold a suspect for more than 28 days before charging them.
Under the government's plans - being debated in the Commons later - MPs would be consulted if the police wanted to detain anyone longer than 28 days. So "there's no proposal for a blanket extension to 42 days - that's a myth, that's wrong."
Even when the police wanted to hold someone from more than 28 days, there would be full safeguards.
Brown says he is trying to get the balance right (which is just what he said earlier about immigration).
He stresses that this proposal is different to the government's previous one - pre-charge detention for up to 90 days - because that was a blanket extension.
The economy
George Parker from the FT asks whether Brown and his international colleagues could end up regulating to avert the last financial crisis, not the next one.
Brown stresses that he expects action soon. He is not proposing "blanket regulation" or "over-active regulation".
1.20pm
Labour's standing with the voters
George Jones from PA asks about Ivan Lewis's comments at the weekend, about the government apparently losing pubic support.
Brown says government can only make policy if it engages with the public. That lesson has shaped government policy, for example on carers. He says people criticise the government for holding too many reviews. "But we are actually listening to what people say."
Referees being abused by footballers
Brown says most parents who know their children are watching football matches want footballers to be better role models. Some are great. But people do not want to see "the bad behaviour that sometimes happens on the pitch."
Captains should take more responsibility. And perhaps, as in rugby, referees should talk to the captains to improve player behaviour.
He ignores the second part of the question by a journalist from the Sun about Harriet Harman wearing a stab-proof jacket.
Ken Livingstone
Why does he deserve re-election, Brown is asked.
Brown praises the mayor for investing in public transport, and for presiding over the biggest transport investment programme London has ever seen.
He also commends the mayor's recording on policing, where the number of officers has gone up, and on housing, where Livingstone is committed to making 50% of all new home affordable.
The Conservatives would cut transport, housing and policing, Brown claims.
1.25pm
Harriet Harman
Quentin Letts from the Daily Mail describes her as a "nightmare" and wonders whether she should wear a stab jacket when she next comes to Downing Street.
Brown says Harman wore the jacket because she was "working" with the police officers who were escorting her on a visit to see the work of neighbourhood police teams.
He then goes on to explain how neighbourhood policing will work. There will be 3,500 of these units around the country.
Olympics
A French journalist says Nicolas Sarkozy might not attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Would Brown go, even if the EU proposed a boycott?
Brown says Britain is hosting the next Olympics and that he will definitely be attending. He points out, again, that the Dalai Lama is not in favour of a boycott.
Two more questions to go .... Brown is started to look pretty fed up with it
Carla Bruni
What did Brown's wife think about the PM's "passionate kisses with Carla Bruni"?
Brown said he enjoyed meeting her, and looks forward to meeting her again.
Curry houses
A journalist asks about staff shortages in curry restaurants because of restrictions on Bangladeshi workers coming into the UK.
Brown says he wants to make it possible for people in this country to be trained to work in curry restaurants.
The government's position on immigration is "a fair one". He says curry restaurants are part of "a very important industry".
Scottish government finances
Michael Settle, from the Herald, says Alex Salmond is asking for an extra £400m to finance Scottish local government.
Brown says Scottish funding is based on the Barnett formula. He does not think the SNP administration in Edinburgh can come to London and say that it has not had enough money.
And that's it for another month.
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