Lib Dem leader aiming to convince supporters that being in the coalition remains worthwhile, as his ratings hit record lows

A battered Nick Clegg will make a concerted effort to claim that Wednesday's Queen's speech shows the clear influence of his party, pointing to tax-free childcare for parents who work, two pensions bills, reform of the pub industry and an electors' right to recall corrupt MPs.

It is also expected he will be able to claim that plans for another immigration bill have been seen off, although some of the proposals mooted for such a bill can be introduced through regulations.

The Liberal Democrat chief whip, Don Foster, has been one of many senior Liberal Democrats anxious to ensure that the final, potentially rocky, session of parliament does not collapse into acrimony as the two wings of the coalition abandon legislation in favour of intra-coalition in-fighting .

The final session of a fixed-term parliament is uncharted territory, and there had been fears that Liberal Democrat MPs would call for an end to the coalition in the final 10 or so months of the government. Although calls for a break-up of the coalition have not surfaced, there is the threat of repeat rebellions. Research published by Revolts at the University of Nottingham showed out of the 68 post-war sessions before the 2013-14 session there were just six that saw a larger number of rebellions by government MPs. The temptation will be for MPs in marginal seats in the final session to assert their independence and impress their constituents.

With his personal and party ratings hitting record lows in some polls this week, Clegg needs to convince Lib Dem supporters that being part of the coalition is still worthwhile. A poll for the Tory peer Lord Ashcroft showed the Liberal Democrats nationally on 6% and probably on course to lose their deposit in the Newark byelection on Thursday.

Clegg is expected to point to free childcare for families where both parents work, worth up to up to £2,000 per child, an issue on which the Liberal Democrats have repeatedly demanded changes. The Lib Dem pensions minister, Steve Webb, will also champion two bills, including one implementing the changes laid out in the budget, and then at the weekend the introduction of Dutch-style collective pensions. These are being described as the two biggest bills of the parliament, and testament to Webb's expertise.

Clegg will also introduce long-awaited reforms designed to introduce a limited form of recall for MPs if they have been found to have broken the Commons code of conduct by the standards committee.

The measure has been bogged down in coalition in-fighting with some radical Tories, such as Zac Goldsmith, claiming the initial version of the proposal was woefully weak since it does not give constituents a right to initiate the recall of an MP, but has to wait for the standards committee to condemn the MPs behaviour.

Details of the new bill are not expected on Wednesday.

After years of controversy, the business secretary, Vince Cable, will introduce legislation to regulate pub chains, including a statutory code of conduct and a new regulator with powers to arbitrate between pub companies and their tenants. It is expected that the code will not include free-of-tie and market-rent-only options, the proposal made by the business select committee in successive inquiries and supported by the Liberal Democrat backbench MP Greg Mulholland.

A recent survey found that 84 per cent of landlords tied to buying beer from the pubCos earn less than £15,000 per year.

Cable is also expected to table plans to make company ownership more transparent, plans first laid out by David Cameron during his chairmanship of the G8 last year.

The Liberal Democrats will also maintain their opposition to a bill guaranteeing a referendum on EU membership in 2017.

A private member's bill piloted by backbench Tory MP James Wharton died in the Lords in the last session, and it is expected that another Tory backbencher will retable the bill.

David Cameron has vowed that if this is the case, he will use the Parliament Act to force the bill through the Lords in the coming session, but the Liberal Democrats believe they can stop the prime minister using the act in that way. Clegg's aides have described such threats by the prime minister as "a bit of bluster".

The Liberal Democrats are going to have to swallow an unpalatable infrastructure and fracking bill. The legislation will enact government plans to give the Highways Agency more commercial freedom by turning it into a government company (Go-Co) and make changes to the planning system to speed up development.

It will also reform the trespass laws to make it easier for companies to exploit gas reserves under privately owned land in defiance of owners' objections. The measure is likely to be one of the most controversial of the parliament.

Liberal Democrats do not oppose fracking in principle, but argue that it is wrong to treat it as a short-term answer to the UK's energy needs.

Apart from bills carried over from the previous parliament, including the bill paving the way for HS2, it is expected that there will be extra legal protection for people people carrying out good deeds, volunteering or planning local events who end up being involved in liability claims.