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
|