STANDING ORDERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS PUBLIC BUSINESS 1999

Standing Orders of the House of Commons - Public Business 1999 - continued	House of Commons

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Domestic Committees.	142. - (1) There shall be four select committees to consider the services provided for the House in regard to the following matters:
	1. Accommodation and Works
	2. Administration
	3. Catering
	4. Information.
	(2) Each committee appointed under this order shall consist of nine Members, and the quorum shall be three.
	(3) Each committee appointed under this order shall have the assistance of the Officers of the House appropriate to the matters under consideration.
	(4) Each committee appointed under this order shall have 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 specialist advisers 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 such committee, or to the Finance and Services Committee appointed under Standing Order No. 144, or to the Broadcasting Committee appointed under Standing Order No. 139, or to the House of Commons Commission, its evidence and any other documents relating to matters of common interest; and
	(d) to meet concurrently with any other such committee, or with the Finance and Services Committee, or with the Broadcasting Committee, for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence.
	(5) Each committee appointed under this order shall have leave to meet concurrently with any committee of the Lords on House of Lords Offices or any sub-committee of that committee, for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence, and to communicate to any such committee or sub-committee its evidence or any other documents relating to matters of common interest.
	(6) Each committee appointed under this order shall have power to make recommendations to the House of Commons Commission or to the Speaker; but any such recommendation whose implementation would incur additional expenditure from the Votes for House of Commons (Administration) or (Works) shall also be considered by the Finance and Services Committee.
	(7) Each committee appointed under this order shall have power to make rules and give directions to Officers of the House in respect only of such administrative matters as may from time to time be determined by the Speaker or by the House of Commons Commission.
	(8) Unless the House otherwise orders, all Members nominated to a committee appointed under this order shall continue to be members of that committee for the remainder of the Parliament.
European Scrutiny Committee.	143. - (1) There shall be a select committee, to be called the European Scrutiny Committee, to examine European Union documents and-
	(a) to report its opinion on the legal and political importance of each such document and, where it considers appropriate, to report also on the reasons for its opinion and on any matters of principle, policy or law which may be affected;
	(b) to make recommendations for the further consideration of any such document pursuant to Standing Order No. 119 (European Standing Committees); and
	(c) to consider any issue arising upon any such document or group of documents or related matters.
	The expression 'European Union document' in this Order and in Standing Orders No. 16 (Proceedings under an Act or on European Union documents), No. 89 (Procedure in standing committees) and No. 119 (European Standing Committees) means-
	(i) any proposal under the Community Treaties for legislation by the Council or the Council acting jointly with the European Parliament;
	(ii) any document which is published for submission to the European Council, the Council or the European Central Bank;
	(iii) any proposal to define a common position or for joint action under Title V of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council;
	(iv) any proposal for a joint position, joint action or a convention under Title VI of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council;
	(v) any document (not falling within (ii), (iii) or (iv) above) which is published by one Union institution for or with a view to submission to another Union institution and which does not relate exclusively to consideration of any proposal for legislation;
	(vi) any other document relating to European Union matters deposited in the House by a Minister of the Crown.
	(2) The committee shall consist of sixteen Members.
	(3) The committee and any sub-committee appointed by it shall have the assistance of the Counsel to the Speaker.
	(4) The committee shall have power to appoint specialist advisers either to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the committee's order of reference.
	(5) The committee shall have power 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.
	(6) The quorum of the committee shall be five.
	(7) The committee shall have power to appoint sub-committees and to refer to such sub-committees any of the matters referred to the committee.
	(8) Every such sub-committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, to adjourn from place to place, and to report to the committee from time to time.
	(9) The committee shall have power to report from time to time the minutes of evidence taken before such sub-committees.
	(10) The quorum of every such sub-committee shall be two.
	(11) The committee shall have power to seek from any committee specified in paragraph (14) of this order its opinion on any European Union document, and to require a reply to such a request within such time as it may specify.
	(12) The committee or any sub-committee appointed by it shall have leave to meet concurrently with any committee specified in paragraph (14) of this order or with any committee of the Lords on the European Communities, or any sub-committee of that committee, for the purposes of deliberating or examining witnesses.
	(13) The committee shall have power to communicate to any committee specified in paragraph (14) of this order its evidence or any other document relating to matters of common interest.
	(14) The committees specified for the purposes of this order are those appointed under Standing Order No. 152 (Select committees related to government departments) including any sub-committees of such committees, the Select Committee on Public Administration, the Committee of Public Accounts, and the Environmental Audit Committee.
	(15) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
	With effect from the coming into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, Standing Order No. 143 (European Scrutiny Committee) shall have effect with the following Amendments:
	line 26, leave out "to define a common position or for joint action" and insert "for a common strategy, a joint action or a common position"; line 29, after "Council" insert "or to the European Council"; and line 30, leave out "joint position, joint action" and insert "common position, framework decision, decision".
Finance and Services Committee.	144. - (1) There shall be a select committee, to be called the Finance and Services Committee, to consider expenditure on and the administration of services for the House and-
	(a) with the assistance of the Board of Management, to prepare the Estimates for the Votes for House of Commons (Administration) and (Works) for submission to the House of Commons Commission;
	(b) to monitor the financial performance of the Departments of the House; and
	(c) to report to the House of Commons Commission or the Speaker on the financial and administrative implications of recommendations made to them by any of the committees appointed under Standing Orders No. 142 (Domestic Committees) or No. 139 (Select Committee on Broadcasting).
	(2) The committee shall consist of not more than eleven Members, and the quorum shall be three.
	(3) The committee shall be assisted by the Accounting Officer and by other Officers of the House appropriate to the matters under consideration.
	(4) The committee shall have 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 communicate to any committee appointed under Standing Orders No. 142 (Domestic Committees) and No. 139 (Select Committee on Broadcasting), or to the House of Commons Commission, its evidence or any other documents relating to matters of common interest; and
	(c) to meet concurrently with any committee appointed under Standing Orders No. 142 (Domestic Committees) or No. 139 (Select Committee on Broadcasting), for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence.
	(5) The committee shall have leave to meet concurrently with any committee of the Lords on House of Lords Offices or any sub-committee of that committee, for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence, and to communicate to any such committee or sub-committee its evidence or any other documents relating to matters of common interest.
	(6) Unless the House otherwise orders, all Members nominated to the committee shall continue to be members of the committee for the remainder of the Parliament.
Liaison Committee.	145. - (1) A select committee shall be appointed, to be called the Liaison Committee-
	(a) to consider general matters relating to the work of select committees,
	(b) to give such advice relating to the work of select committees as may be sought by the House of Commons Commission, and
	(c) to report to the House its choice of select committee reports to be debated on such Wednesdays as may be appointed by the Speaker in pursuance of paragraph (4) of Standing Order No. 10 (Wednesday sittings).
	(2) The committee shall report its recommendations as to the allocation of time for consideration by the House of the estimates on any day or half day which may be allotted for that purpose; and upon a motion being made that the House do agree with any such report the question shall be put forthwith and, if that question is agreed to, the recommendations shall have effect as if they were orders of the House:
	Proceedings in pursuance of this paragraph, though opposed, may be decided after the expiration of the time for opposed business.
	(3) The committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, and to report from time to time.
	(4) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
	(5) The quorum of the committee shall be six.
Select Committee on Public Administration.	146. - (1) There shall be a select committee to examine the reports of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, of the Health Service Commissioners for England, Scotland and Wales and of the Parliamentary Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, which are laid before this House, and matters in connection therewith, and to consider matters relating to the quality and standards of administration provided by Civil Service departments, and other matters relating to the Civil Service; and the committee shall consist of eleven Members of whom the quorum shall be three.
	(2) The committee shall have 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; and
	(b) to appoint specialist advisers 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 the European Scrutiny Committee its evidence and any other document relating to matters of common interest; and;
	(d) to meet concurrently with the European Scrutiny Committee, or any Sub-Committee thereof, for the purposes of deliberating or of taking evidence.
	(3) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
Procedure Committee.	147. - (1) There shall be a select committee, to be called the Procedure Committee, to consider the practice and procedure of the House in the conduct of public business, and to make recommendations.
	(2) The committee shall consist of not more than seventeen Members.
	(3) The quorum of the committee shall be five.
	(4) The committee shall have power 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.
	(5) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
Committee of Public Accounts.	148. - (1) There shall be a select committee to be called the Committee of Public Accounts for the examination of the accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure, and of such other accounts laid before Parliament as the committee may think fit, to consist of not more than sixteen Members, of whom four shall be a quorum. The committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records, to report from time to time, and to adjourn from place to place.
	(2) Unless the House otherwise orders, each Member nominated to the committee shall continue to be a member of it for the remainder of the Parliament.
	(3) The committee shall have power to communicate to any committee appointed under Standing Order No. 152 (Select committees related to government departments) and to the European Scrutiny Committee such evidence as it may have received from the National Audit Office (having been agreed between that Office and the government department or departments concerned) but which has not been reported to the House.
	(4) The Committee shall have power to meet concurrently with the European Scrutiny Committee, or any Sub-Committee thereof, for the purposes of deliberating or taking evidence.

Prepared 13 January 1999