The Parliament of the United Kingdom (that is, the House of Commons and House of Lords) has a number of Committees – small numbers of members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues; most are made up of members of the Commons.
Contents |
Current committees
Select committees
The majority of Parliamentary committees are Select Committees. The remit of these committees vary depending on whether they are committees of the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
Commons
Select Committees in the Commons are designed to oversee the work of departments and agencies, examine topical issues affecting the country or individual regions, and review and advise on the procedures, workings and rules of the House.
The current Commons Select Committees are listed below.
Departmental
Departmental Select Committees are designed to oversee and examine the work of individual government departments and any related departmental bodies and agencies.
- Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and related bodies)
- Children, Schools and Families Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and related bodies)
- Communities and Local Government Select Committee (overseeing the operations of Communities and Local Government)
- Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport)
- Defence Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Ministry of Defence)
- Energy and Climate Change Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Energy and Climate Change and related bodies)
- Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and associated bodies)
- Foreign Affairs Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the FCO)
- Health Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department of Health)
- Home Affairs Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Home Office and related bodies)
- International Development Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for International Development)
- Justice Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Ministry of Justice, related agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service, and other agencies that report to the Lord Chancellor)
- Science and Technology Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the government office for science).
- Transport Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Transport)
- Treasury Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs)
- Work and Pensions Select Committee (overseeing the operations of the Department for Work and Pensions)
National
National select committees are designed to oversee the work of the three devolved administrations and parliaments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They also examine the work of the Northern Ireland Office, the Scotland Office and the Wales Office, as well as issues of importance to the people of the three countries.
Topical
Topical select committees examine topical issues of importance to either the country or parliament.
- Environmental Audit Select Committee (examines the contribution of government policies to environmental protection and sustainable development)
- European Scrutiny Committee (examines key EU documents, as well as deciding which documents should be debated on the floor of the Commons)
- Liaison Committee (examines the work of select committees in general, as well as hearing annual evidence from the Prime Minister)
- Public Accounts Select Committee (examines government and parliamentary expenditure to ensure honesty and fairness)
- Public Administration Select Committee (examines the work and administration of the Civil Service, as well as reports from the Parliamentary Ombudsman)
- Arms Export Controls Committee (composed of members of the Business and Enterprise, Defence, Foreign Affairs and International Development committees, examines exports of arms from the UK)
- Regulatory Reform Committee (examines draft legislative reform orders as proposed under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, as well as regulation in general)
- Select Committee on Statutory Instruments (examines all statutory instruments laid before the Commons)
Internal
Internal select committees examine issues relating to the day to day running of parliament.
- Committee on Members' Allowances (examines and suggests alterations and improvements to the system of members' allowances)
- Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons (examines how Commons practices and procedures could be modernised)
- Select Committee on Standards and Privileges (oversees Parliamentary standards and members' interests and conduct)
- Procedure Committee (examines the practice and procedures of the Commons in dealing with public business)
- Select Committee of Selection (recommends the appointment of members to parliamentary committees)
Domestic
Domestic select committees are responsible for the provision of services to Members and the day-to-day running of the Commons part of the Palace of Westminster.
- Administration Committee (examines the services offered to members of the Commons, as well as services offered to the public)
- Finance and Services Committee (examines the budget and expenditure of the House of Commons, including the administration budget)
Regional
The House of Commons set up eight regional select committees in November 2008, which were in turn first appointed on 3 March 2009. The committees are formed of 5 Labour members as opposed to the 9 members from various parties as was agreed in the original motion, due to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats refusing to nominate any members as a sign of their opposition to the existence of regional committees.[1]
- East of England Regional Select Committee
- East Midlands Regional Select Committee
- North East Regional Select Committee
- North West Regional Select Committee
- South East Regional Select Committee
- South West Regional Select Committee
- West Midlands Regional Select Committee
- Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Select Committee
Lords
The House of Lords appoint select committees to examine and explore general issues such as the Constitution or the economy.
Topical
- Barnett Formula Select Committee
- Communications Select Committee
- Constitution Committee
- Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Select Committee
- Economic Affairs Committee
- Economic Affairs Finance Bill Select Sub-Committee
- European Union Committee
- Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and International Relations (Sub-Committee A)
- Internal Market (Sub-Committee B)
- Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy (Sub-Committee C)
- Environment and Agriculture (Sub-Committee D)
- Law and Institutions (Sub-Committee E)
- Home Affairs (Sub-Committee F)
- Social Policy and Consumer Affairs (Sub-Committee G)
- Hybrid Instruments Committee
- Intergovernmental Organisations Select Committee
- Lords Liaison Committee
- Merits of Statutory Instruments Select Committee
- Select Committee on Regulators
- Science and Technology Committee
Internal
Domestic
- Administration and Works Select Committee
- Refreshment Select Committee
Joint
Joint Committees are select committees formed to examine a particular issue, whose membership is from both the Commons and the Lords.
- Joint Committee on Consolidation, &c., Bills
- Joint Committee on Human Rights
- Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
- Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills
General committees
In 2006, Standing Committees were renamed General Committees.
- Public Bill Committees (formerly known as Standing Committees on Bills)
- Delegated Legislation Committees
- European Standing Committees
- Northern Ireland Grand Committee
- Regional Affairs Committee
- Scottish Grand Committee
- Welsh Grand Committee
Others
As well as the Select Committees and General Committees, there are also a number of other Parliamentary Committees.
- Advisory Committee on Works of Art
- Ecclesiastical Committee
- Members Estimate Committee
- Members Estimate Audit Committee
- Public Accounts Commission
- Joint Committee on Security (advises on the security of the Parliamentary Estate)
- Speaker's Committee
Former committees
Occasionally, committees will be discharged by one of the Houses of Parliament, namely the Commons or the Lords. This occurs when existing committees are no longer required or have their responsibilites transferred to a different committee, effectively rendering the original committee void. It is more common, however, for committees to be discharged as a result of the abolition of government departments, for example the abolition of the Department for Education and Skills in June 2007 resulted in the abolition of the Education and Skills Select Committee shortly afterwards.[2]
Select committees
Commons
Departmental
- Agriculture Select Committee - dissolved in 2001, and replaced by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee following the replacement of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Business and Enterprise Select Committee - dissolved 30 September 2009, and replaced by the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee following the replacement of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- Constitutional Affairs Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced by the Justice Select Committee following the replacement of the Department for Constitutional Affairs with the Ministry of Justice.[2]
- Education and Employment Select Committee - split in 2001 into the Education and Skills Select Committee and the Work and Pensions Select Committee following the splitting of the Department for Education and Employment into two distinct departments.
- Education and Skills Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced with the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee and the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee following the replacement of the Department of Education and Skills with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.[2]
- Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee - abolished in 2001, with the environment portion of the committee's remit being transferred to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and the remainder being transferred to the new Transport, Local Government and the Regions Select Committee following changes to several government departments following the 2001 general election.
- Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee - dissolved 30 September 2009 following the abolition of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Technically replaced by the Science and Technology Select Committee.
- Lord Chancellor's Department Committee - abolished in 2003 following the merging of the Lord Chancellor's Department into the Department for Constitutional Affairs
- Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - abolished in 2006 and replaced with the Communities and Local Government Select Committee following the abolition of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which was replaced by the Department for Communities and Local Government
- Science and Technology Committee - abolished in 2007 following the creation of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee
- Social Security Select Committee - abolished in 2001 and replaced with the Work and Pensions Select Committee following the replacemnet of the Department for Social Security with the Department for Work and Pensions
- Trade and Industry Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced with the Business and Enterprise Select Committee following the replacement of the Department for Trade and Industry with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.[2]
- Transport, Local Government and the Regions Select Committee - abolished after less than one year and replaced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee and the Transport Select Committee
Domestic
All five domestic committees were abolished in 2005 and replaced by a single committee - the Administration Committee.
- Accommodation and Works Committee
- Administration Committee
- Broadcasting Committee
- Catering Committee
- Information Committee
Lords
Topical
- House of Lords Select Committee on Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England
Domestic
- House of Lords Offices Committee
Joint
- Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform
- Joint Committee of Tax Simplification
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
