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	No 6 (p15)

*	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

STANDING COMMITTEES:
MEETINGS 2 - 6 DECEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on BILLS and DELEGATED LEGISLATION

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill (Clauses 16 - 31 agreed to, some with amendments)
SC B:	Local Government and Rating Bill (Clauses 9 - end)
SC D:	Education Bill (Clause 3 disagreed to, Clauses 4-8)
SC E:	Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill (Sittings motion, Order of Consideration)
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill (Clauses 29-49, some with amendments)
1st DLSC:	Home-Grown Cereals Authority Levy (Variation) Scheme (Approval) Order 1996
	(SI 1996, No 2843)
2nd DLSC:	Draft European Police Office (Legal Capacities) Order 1996

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

3RD DLSC:

Draft Scottish Enterprise (Aggregate Amount Outstanding) Order 1996

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill (Clauses 32-42, Schedules 1-6 agreed to, some with amendments)
SC D:	Education Bill (Clauses 9-14, Schedule 2 agreed to, with divisions)
SC E:	Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill (Clause 1 under consideration)
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill (Clauses 50-57 agreed to, New Clause 11 added)

EUROPEAN STANDING COMMITTEES

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

ESC A: Sir James Hill (Chairman)

Document No 5231/96 relating Air Carrier Liaibility

ESC B: Mr Allan Stewart (Chairman)

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

WELSH GRAND COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER

Mr Roy Hughes (Chairman)

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

STANDING COMMITTEES:

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 9 - 13 DECEMBER 1996

Standing Committees on BILLS and DELEGATED LEGISLATION

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 11
SC D:	Education Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 9
SC E:	Social Security Administration (Fraud) Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 14
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 12
1st DLSC:	High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction (Amendment) Order 1996, 10.30 am, Room 10
2nd DLSC:	Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) and (Northern Ireland Consequential Amendments) Orders 1996, 4.30 pm, Room 10
3rd DLSC:	Financial Services Act 1986 (Extension Scope of Act) Order 1996, 4.30 pm, Room 8

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER

4th DLSC:	Insurance Premium Tax (Taxable Insurance Contracts) Order, 4.30 pm, Room 12
5th DLSC:	Draft Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No 2) and Social Security (Child Maintenance Bonus) Regulations 1996, 4.30 pm, Room 11

THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER

SC A:	Crime (Sentences) Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 11
SC D:	Education Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 9
SC E:	Social Security (Fraud) Bill, 10.30 am, Room 14
1st Scot SC:	Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, Room 12
6th DLSC:	European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Europe Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Latvia, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Lithuania) Orders 1996, 10.30 am, Room 10
7th DLSC:	Magistrates' Courts (Remands in Custody) (Amendment) Order, 10.30 am, Room 8

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER

ESC A: Sir James Hill (Chairman)

10.30 am, Room 11

Document No 10003/95 relating to Community railway policy and 9654/96 relating to the Community's railways

ESC B: Mr Donald Anderson (Chairman)

10.30 am, Room 12

Document No 10305/96 relating to development of the social dialogue

SCOTTISH GRAND COMMITTEE

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER

Mr John Maxton, Mr Norman Hogg (Jt Chairmen)

South Lanarkshire Council Buildings, Hamilton, 10.30am

Statement - E-coli (Mr Michael Forsyth)

Statement - Public expenditure in Scotland (Mr Michael Forsyth)

Debate - On a motion for the adjournment on local government in Scotland (Opposition motion)

Legislation - Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman and Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland Bill, consideration in principle

Adjournment Debate - Maria Fyfe on Urban Aid funded projects in Glasgow

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER

At Westminster, 10.30 am, Room 10

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

Adjournment Debate - Mr Jim Wallace on emergency salvage tug cover in the waters around Orkney and Shetland

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS OF THE SCOTTISH GRAND COMMITTEE

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.