The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
is appointed under Standing Order No 152 to examine the expenditure,
administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office; administration
and expenditure of the Crown Solicitor's Office (but excluding
individual cases and advice given by the Crown Solicitor); and
other matters within the responsibilities of the Secretary of
State for Northern Ireland (but excluding the expenditure, administration
and policy of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions,
Northern Ireland and the drafting of legislation by the Office
of the Legislative Counsel).
The Committee consists of a maximum of thirteen
Members, of whom the quorum is four. Unless the House otherwise
orders, all Members nominated to the Committee continue to be
members of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
The Committee has power:
(a) to send for
persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment
of the House, to adjourn from place to place, and to report from
time to time;
(b) to appoint persons with technical knowledge
either to supply information which is not readily available or
to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee's order
of reference;
(c) to communicate to any other committee
appointed under the same Standing Order (or to the Committee of
Public Accounts and to the Deregulation Committee) its evidence
and any other documents relating to matters of common interest;
(d) to meet concurrently with any other
such Committee for the purposes of deliberating, taking evidence,
or considering draft reports; or with the European Scrutiny Committee
or any Sub-Committee thereof, for the purposes of deliberating
or taking evidence.
The membership of the Committee since its nomination
on 28 July 1997 has been as follows:
Mr Peter Brooke (Chairman)
Mr Harry Barnes
Mr Roy Beggs
Mr Desmond Browne (discharged 9.11.98)
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson
Mr John Grogan
Mr Stephen Hesford (added 19.2.98)
Mr Andrew Hunter
Mr Ken Livingstone (discharged 14.6.99)
Mr Stephen McCabe (added 9.11.98)
Mr Eddie McGrady
Mr Tony McWalter
Ms Margaret Moran (discharged 19.2.98)
Mr Stephen Pound (added 14.6.99)
Mr Peter Robinson
Mr Martin Salter
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