Parliamentary Committees

Both Houses of Parliament have an organised and evolving system of committees which comprises committees of the whole House select committees, House of Commons standing committees on public Bills, joint committees of both Houses sitting and voting together, and private Bill committees.

Either House may resolve itself into a committee - known as a committee of the whole House - to consider Bills in detail, clause by clause, after their second reading. This procedure is used for nearly all public Bills in the House of Lords, but in the Commons it is used only if a motion is carried to resolve the House into such a committee.

Select committees are generally set up to help Parliament with the control of the executive by examining some aspects of administration and reporting their conclusion to the House. 14 committees exist, each of which examines the expenditure, administration and policy of one of the main government departments and related bodies. These cover: Agriculture; Defence; Education, Science and the Arts; Employment; Energy; Environment; Foreign Affairs; Home Affairs; Industry and Trade; Social Services; Transport; and the Treasury and Givil Service. Select committees are constituted on a party basis in approximate proportion to party strength in the House. In the Lords no rule exists for limiting the number of members, but in the Commons membership of select committees generally is restricted to 15 and that of departmental select committees to between 9 and 11.

House of Commons standing committees include those appointed to examine public Bills at the committee stage and, in certain cases, at the second reading and report stages; A Second Reading Committee etc. Ordinary standing committees have no distinctive names - being referred to as Standing Committee A, B, C and so on and each is appointed specifically to consider a particular Bill. There is no limit to the number of standing committees that may be appointed in each session. In standing committees the balance of parties must, as far as possible, reflect that in the House as a whole. The chairmen are appointed by the Speaker.

Joint committees are committees of members of both Houses, appointed to consider either a particular subject or a particular Bill, or to consider all Bills of a particular description - for instance, those dealing with statute law revision and consolidation. The members of a joint committee are usually chosen in equal numbers by the respective Houses. The proposal to commit a particular Bill to a joint committee must come from the House in which it ori­ginated.