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), No 5 (p15). 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)
Social Security Administration (Fraud)	E	this issue

*	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

COMMITTEES APPOINTED

Standing Committee E: Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill

Mr John McWilliam, Sir James Hill (Jt Chairmen)

Mr Michael Brown	Mr Alistair Burt	Mrs Anne Campbell
Mr David Clelland	Mr Sebastian Coe	Mr Harry Cohen
Mr David Congdon	Mr John Denham	Mr Harold Elletson
Mr Nigel Evans	Mr Clifford Forsythe	Mr Oliver Heald
Mr Alan Howarth	Mr Robert G Hughes	Mr Henry McLeish
Mr Terry Rooney	Mr John Whittingdale

STANDING COMMITTEES: MEETINGS
25 - 29 NOVEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on BILLS and DELEGATED LEGISLATION

TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER

EUROPEAN STANDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER

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

ESC B: Mr Norman Hogg (Chairman)

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

SCOTTISH GRAND COMMITTEE

MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER

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

County Buildings, Cupar, Fife

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment on Scotland and defence (Government motion) (Motion lapsed)

Legislation - Contract (Scotland) Bill, consideration in principle (Agreed to, no division)

Adjournment Debate - Mr Archy Kirkwood on the future of the Scottish fishing fleet

STANDING COMMITTEES:

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 2 - 6 DECEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on BILLS and DELEGATED LEGISLATION

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill, 10.30am, Room 11
SC B:	Local Government and Rating Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 10
SC D:	Education Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 9
SC E:	Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill, 10.30am, Room 14
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 12
1st DLSC:	Home-Grown Cereals Authority Levy (Variation) Scheme (Approval) Order 1996
	(SI 1996, No 2843), 10.30am, Room 8
2nd DLSC:	Draft European Police Office (Legal Capacities) Order 1996, 4.30pm, Room 8

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

3RD DLSC:

Draft Scottish Enterprise (Aggregate Amount Outstanding) Order 1996, 4.30pm, Room 11

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 11
SC B:	Local Government and Rating Bill, 10.30am, Room 10
SC D:	Education Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 9
SC E:	Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill, 10.30am, Room 14, 4.30pm*, Room 8
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30am, 4.30pm, Room 12

* Subject to sittings motion

EUROPEAN STANDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

ESC A: Sir James Hill (Chairman)

10.30am, Room 11

Document No 5231/96 relating Air Carrier Liaibility

ESC B: Mr Allan Stewart (Chairman)

10.30am, Room 12

Document No 9573/96 relating to protection against third country legislation

WELSH GRAND COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

Mr Roy Hughes (Chairman)

At Westminster, 10.30am, 4.00pm, Room 10

Debate - Implications of the Budget for Wales (Mr Roger Knapman)

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS OF THE SCOTTISH GRAND COMMITTEE

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER

Mr John Maxton, Mr Norman Hogg (Jt Chairmen)

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.