STANDING COMMITTEES

Standing Committees in the House of Commons have a number of different functions.

1.	Standing Committees lettered A, B, C, etc, are constituted as often as necessary to consider Public Bills in detail. Their membership is announced after a Bill has been allocated to them, and the Committees are constituted afresh for each new Bill. The 1st and 2nd Scottish Standing Committees act similarly for Bills relating solely to Scotland. Special Standing Committees (SSC) or Special Scottish Standing Committees (SSSC) may be established to consider, and take evidence upon, Bills. For further details, see Factsheet 43 available from the Public Information Office.
2.	Reports of debates in Standing Committees are printed in the Official Report of Standing Committee A (B, C etc) for each sitting. These are published by, and available from, and, unless the Committee sits late, are generally available the day after the sitting.
3.	The Scottish Grand, Welsh Grand and Northern Ireland Committees exist largely to debate matters remitted to them by the House. They are constituted afresh for each topic. The Scottish and Welsh Grand Committees also debate the principle of Bills relating to Scotland and Wales if the Bills are referred to them under a motion by a Minister. Except for formal purposes this constitutes the Second Reading stage of such a Bill. The Scottish Grand Committee also (at designated sittings) has a question time, debates on the motion for the adjournment and adjournment debates. For further information see Factsheet 65 available from the Public Information Office.
4.	Delegated Legislation Standing Committees (formerly known as SI Committees) are constituted to deal with particular items of secondary legislation referred to them by the House. Their composition is not noted in this Bulletin. Any Member may attend and speak.
5.	The European Standing Committees (ESC) lettered A and B are constituted for the duration of a Session and consider matters referred to them by the House. Their composition appears in No 2 (p14), amendments No 3 (p12), this issue. Chairmen are appointed for consideration of individual documents. Any Member may attend and speak. For further details see Factsheet 56 available from the Public Information Office. Committees A and B deal with matters within the responsibilities of different Departments. The list is as follows: ESC A: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Transport; Environment; Forestry Commission (and analogous responsibilities of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices): ESC B: Other Departments

Current Standing Committees, Details of Membership

Bill	Committee	Bulletin issue and page (amendments/additions)
Crime (Sentences)	A	No 3 (p12)
Crime and Punishment (Scotland)	1st Scot SC	No 3 (p13), this issue
Local Government and Rating	B	No 4 (p13)
Education	D	No 4 (p14)
Firearms (Amendment), except Clauses 1-5	E	No 4 (p14)

*	Membership, dates of sitting not yet announced
**	Chairmen, dates of sitting not yet announced
***	Chairmen, membership, dates of sitting not yet announced
****	dates of sitting not yet announced

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES

Standing Committee E, Business Sub-Committee: Firearms (Amendment) Bill (Allocation of time motion)

Sir David Knox (Chairman)

Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown	Mr Doug Henderson	Mr Peter Luff
Mrs Helen Liddell	Mr Thomas McAvoy	Mr Richard Ottaway
Ann Widdecombe

CHANGES IN MEMBERSHIP

1st Scottish Standing Committee: Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill

Additional chairmen: Sir James Hill, Mr Donald Anderson

Chairmen's Panel

Mr John Butterfill, Mr Michael Lord nominated

European Standing Committee B

Roseanna Cunningham and Mr Gerry Sutcliffe discharged, Mr Brian David Jenkins and Mr Denis MacShane appointed

STANDING COMMITTEES:
MEETINGS 18 - 22 NOVEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on BILLS and DELEGATED LEGISLATION

TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER

SC A: Crime (Sentences) Bill (2 sittings, Clauses 1-4. Clause 5 under consideration)

SC B: Local Government and Rating Bill (Sittings motion)

SC D: Education Bill (Sittings motion, order of consideration. Clause 1 under consideration)

1st DLSC: Draft Dental Auxiliaries (Amendment) Regulations 1996

2nd DLSC: Draft Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

1st Scot SC: Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill (Clause 1 under consideration)

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER

3RD DLSC: Railtrack Group plc (Target Investment Limit) Orders 1996 (S.I. 1996, No 2551)

THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER

SC A: Crime (Sentences) Bill (Clauses 3-5, with amendment)

SC B: Local Government and Rating Bill (Clause 1, Schedule 1)

SC D: Education Bill (Clause 1)

SC E: Firearms (Amendment) Bill, except Clauses 1-5 (New Clauses, Schedules, Bill to be reported)

1st Scot SC: Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill (Clauses 5-13, some with amendments)

EUROPEAN STANDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER

ESC A: Sir James Hill (Chairman)

Document No 9651/96 relating to Strategy for Waste Management

ESC B: Sir James Molyneaux (Chairman)

Documents COM (96) 499 relating to Introduction of the Euro, COM (96) 498 Reinforced Convergence Procedures and New Exchange Rate Mechanism, COM (96) 496 Stability Pact for Ensuring Budgetary Discipline in Stage 3 of EMU

(Motion to take note of documents negatived on division. Debate included discussion of whether documents should be debated by the whole House)

STANDING COMMITTEES:
FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 25 - 29 NOVEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on Bills and Delegated Legislation

TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER

SC B: Local Government and Rating Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 9

SC D: Education Bill, 10.30am, 6.30pm, Room 10

1st Scot SC: Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 12

4th DLSC: Draft African Development Fund (Seventh Replenishment), Draft International Development Association (Interim Trust Fund) and Draft Caribbean Bank (Further Payments) Orders 1996, 10.30am, Room 8

THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER

SC B: Local Government and Rating Bill, 10.30am, Room 14

SC D: Education Bill, 10.30am Room 10, 4.30pm Room 8

1st Scot SC: Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 12

EUROPEAN STANDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER

10.30am, Room 11

Document No 7208/95, relating to water for human consumption

ESC B: Mr Norman Hogg (Chairman)

10.30am,Room 10

Documents Nos 7312/96 and 10602/96 relating to Former Yugoslavia: aid for reconstruction and rehabilitation and south-eastern Europe

MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER

Mr Allan Stewart, Mr Michael J Martin (Jt Chairmen)

County Buildings, Cupar, Fife, 10.30 am

Debate (until 1.00pm, if not previously concluded) - On a motion for the adjournment on Scotland and defence (Government motion)

Legislation (until 2.00pm, if not previously concluded) - Contract (Scotland) Bill, consideration in principle

Adjournment Debate - Future of the Scottish fishing fleet

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER

South Lanarkshire Council Buildings, Hamilton, 10.30am

Statement - Public expenditure in Scotland (Mr Michael Forsyth)

Debate (until 1.30pm, if not previously concluded) - On a motion for the adjournment on local government in Scotland (Opposition motion)

Legislation (until 2.30pm, if not previously concluded) - Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman and Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland Bill, consideration in principle

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment on public expenditure in Scotland (Government motion)

MONDAY 13 JANUARY 1997

Oral Questions

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment* (Government motion)

MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY 1997

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment* (Liberal Democrat motion)

MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY 1997

Oral Questions

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment* (Scottish National Party motion)

* Subjects for debate will be known after 1.00 pm on Wednesdays preceding the meeting. Telephone the Public Information Office (0171 219 4272) for details.