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Standing Orders of the House of Commons - Public Business 2001 - continued        House of Commons
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Standing Committee on Regional Affairs.     117. - (1) There shall be a standing committee called the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs which shall consider any matter relating to regional affairs in England which may be referred to it.
 
      (2) The Committee shall consist of thirteen Members representing English constituencies nominated by the Committee of Selection; and in nominating such Members, the Committee of Selection shall—
 
 
    (a) have regard to the qualifications of the Members nominated and to the composition of the House; and
 
    (b) have power to discharge Members from time to time, and to appoint others in substitution.
      (3) Any Member of the House representing an English constituency, though not nominated to the Committee, may take part in its proceedings, but may not make any Motion, vote or be counted in the quorum; provided that a Minister of the Crown who is a Member of this House but not nominated to the Committee may make a Motion as specified in paragraph (10) below.
 
      (4) The quorum of the Committee shall be three.
 
      (5) Paragraph (1) of Standing Order No. 88 (Meetings of standing committees) shall not apply to the Committee; except that the proviso to that paragraph shall apply to any sitting at Westminster.
 
      (6) A Motion may be made in the House by a Minister of the Crown to specify (or to vary) any or all of the following:
 
 
    (a) the matter or matters to be referred to the Committee;
 
    (b) the period to be allotted to proceedings on such matters;
 
    (c) when and where (within England) the Committee shall meet;
 
    (d) the hours for the commencement and conclusion of any sitting;
 
    (e) any days when the Committee shall meet at Westminster at Ten o'clock;
  and such Motion may be moved at any time; and the Question thereon shall be put forthwith and may be decided at any hour, though opposed.
 
      (7) Where any order made under paragraph (6) above makes no provision for the period to be allotted to the proceedings on any matter or matters which have been referred to the Committee for consideration at a particular sitting, those proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion no later than three hours after their commencement.
 
      (8) At the commencement of business at any sitting of the Committee, the Chairman may permit Ministers of the Crown, being Members of the House, to make statements on any matter or matters referred to the Committee for consideration at that sitting, and may then permit members of the Committee to ask questions thereon.
 
      (9) No question on a statement by a Minister of the Crown shall be taken after the expiry of a period of one hour from the commencement of the first such statement, except that the Chairman may, at his discretion, allow such questions to be taken for a further period not exceeding half an hour.
 
      (10) The Committee shall, following any such statements and questions, consider each matter referred to it on a motion ‘That the Committee has considered the matter’; the Chairman shall put the Question necessary to dispose of the proceedings on each matter at the time, or after the period, specified in accordance with paragraph (6) or paragraph (7) of this Order, and the Committee shall thereupon report to the House that it has considered the matter or matters without any further Question being put.
 
      (11) Any period allocated to the consideration of any matter or matters shall include any time spent on statements by Ministers of the Crown and questions thereon, except when otherwise provided by any Order of the House made in accordance with paragraph (6) above.
 
Standing Committees on Delegated Legislation.     118. - (1) There shall be one or more standing committees, to be called Standing Committees on Delegated Legislation, for the consideration of such instruments (whether or not in draft) as may be referred to them.
 
      (2) Any Member, not being a member of such a standing committee, may take part in the deliberations of the committee, but shall not vote or make any motion or move any amendment or be counted in the quorum.
 
      (3) Where a Minister of the Crown has given notice of a motion to the effect that an instrument (whether or not in draft) upon which proceedings may be taken in pursuance of an Act of Parliament (other than a draft deregulation order) be approved, the instrument shall stand referred to a Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, unless-
 
 
    (a) notice has been given by a Minister of the Crown of a motion that the instrument shall not so stand referred, or
 
    (b) the instrument is referred to the Scottish Grand Committee or to the Northern Ireland Grand Committee.
      (4) Where a Member has given notice of-
 
 
    (a) a motion for an humble address to Her Majesty praying that a statutory instrument be annulled, or a motion of a similar character relating to a statutory instrument, or to any other instrument (whether or not in draft) which may be subject to proceedings in the House in pursuance of a statute, or a motion that the House takes note of a statutory instrument, or
 
    (b) a motion that a measure under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 be presented to Her Majesty for her Royal Assent, or a motion relating to an instrument made under such a measure,
  a motion may be made by a Minister of the Crown at the commencement of public business, that the instrument be referred to such a committee, and the question thereon shall be put forthwith; and if, on the question being put, not fewer than twenty Members rise in their places and signify their objection thereto, the Speaker shall declare that the noes have it.
      (5) Each committee shall consider each instrument referred to it on a motion, 'That the committee has considered the instrument'; and the chairman shall put any question necessary to dispose of the proceedings on such a motion, if not previously concluded, when the committee shall have sat for one and a half hours (or, in the case of an instrument relating exclusively to Northern Ireland, two and a half hours) after the commencement of those proceedings; and the committee shall thereupon report the instrument to the House without any further question being put.
 
      (6) If any motion is made in the House of the kind specified in paragraphs (3) or (4) of this order, in relation to any instrument reported to the House in accordance with paragraph (5) of this order, the Speaker shall put forthwith the question thereon and such question may be decided at any hour, though opposed.
 
European Standing Committees.     119. - (1) There shall be three standing committees, called European Standing Committees, to which shall stand referred for consideration on motion, unless the House otherwise orders, such European Union documents as defined in Standing Order No. 143 (European Scrutiny Committee) as may be recommended by the European Scrutiny Committee for further consideration.
 
      (2) If a motion that specified European Union documents as aforesaid shall not stand referred to a European Standing Committee is made by a Minister of the Crown at the commencement of public business, the question thereon shall be put forthwith.
 
      (3) Each European Standing Committee shall consist of thirteen Members nominated for the duration of a Parliament by the Committee of Selection; and in nominating such Members, the Committee of Selection shall-
 
 
    (a) have regard to the qualifications of the Members nominated and to the composition of the House; and
 
    (b) have power to discharge Members from time to time, and to appoint others in substitution.
      (4) The quorum of a European Standing Committee shall be three, excluding the chairman.
 
      (5) Any Member, though not nominated to a European Standing Committee, may take part in the committee's proceedings and may move amendments to any motion made as provided in paragraphs (7) and (8) below, but such Member shall not make any motion, vote or be counted in the quorum; provided that a Minister of the Crown who is a Member of this House but not nominated to the committee may make a motion as provided in paragraphs (7) and (8) below; and the Government may appoint the precedence of notices of motion to be considered in each committee.
 
      (6) The European Standing Committees, and the principal subject matter of the European Union documents to be referred to each, shall be as set out below; and in making recommendations for further consideration, the European Scrutiny Committee shall specify the committee to which in its opinion the documents ought to be referred; and subject to paragraph (2) of this order, the documents shall be referred to that committee accordingly.
 
 
 
European Standing Committees		 
Principal subject matter
 
 
Matters within the responsibility of the following Departments-
 
A		 
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Environment, Transport and the Regions; Forestry Commission; and analogous responsibilities of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices.
 
B		 
HM Treasury (including HM Customs and Excise); Social Security; Foreign and Commonwealth Office; International Development; Home Office; Lord Chancellor's Department; together with any matters not otherwise allocated by this Order
 
C		 
Trade and Industry; Education and Employment; Culture, Media and Sport; Health
      (7) The chairman may permit Ministers of the Crown to make statements and to answer questions thereon put by Members, in respect of each motion relative to a European Union document or documents referred to a European Standing Committee of which a Minister shall have given notice; but no question shall be taken after the expiry of a period of one hour from the commencement of the first such statement:

Provided that the chairman may, if he sees fit, allow questions to be taken for a further period of not more than half an hour after the expiry of that period.
 
      (8) Following the conclusion of the proceedings under the previous paragraph, the motion referred to therein may be made, to which amendments may be moved; and, if proceedings thereon have not been previously concluded, the chairman shall interrupt the consideration of such motion and amendments when the committee shall have sat for a period of two and a half hours, and shall then put forthwith successively:
 
 
    (a) the question on any amendment already proposed from the chair; and
 
    (b) the main question (or the main question, as amended).
       The chairman shall thereupon report to the House any resolution to which the committee has come, or that it has come to no resolution, without any further question being put.
 
      (9) If any motion is made in the House in relation to any European Union document in respect of which a report has been made to the House in accordance with paragraph (8) of this order, the Speaker shall forthwith put successively-
 
 
    (a) the question on any amendment selected by him which may be moved;
 
    (b) the main question (or the main question, as amended);
  and proceedings in pursuance of this paragraph, though opposed, may be decided after the expiration of the time for opposed business.
      (10) With the modifications provided in this order, the following Standing Orders shall apply to European Standing Committees:

No. 85 (Chairmen of standing committees);

No. 88 (Meetings of standing committees); and

No. 89 (Procedure in standing committees).
 

Business sub-committees.      120. - (1) Whenever an order has been made by the House allocating time to the proceedings of a standing committee on any bill which has been allocated or committed to it, the order shall stand referred to that committee, and shall be considered by a sub-committee thereof to be called the business sub-committee.
 
      (2) A business sub-committee shall consist of the chairman or one of the chairmen of the committee (who shall be chairman of the sub-committee) and seven members of the committee, to be nominated by the Speaker as soon as may be after such an order has been made; the quorum of the sub-committee shall be four, of whom the chairman so nominated shall be one; and the sub-committee shall have power to report from time to time to the committee.
 
      (3) A sub-committee shall report to the committee its resolutions upon-
 
 
    (a) the number of sittings to be allotted to the consideration of the bill;
 
    (b) the allocation of the proceedings to each sitting; and
 
    (c) the time at which any proceedings, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion.
      (4) All such resolutions shall be reported to the committee at the commencement of the next sitting of the committee and shall be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of the committee.
 
      (5) Whenever a sub-committee has made a report to the committee, the Member in charge of the bill may forthwith move 'That this committee do agree with the business sub-committee in its resolution (or resolutions)'; and the question on such a motion shall be put forthwith.
 
      (6) If the question is agreed to, the resolution (or resolutions) shall have effect as though included in the order aforesaid, but if it is negatived the resolution (or resolutions) shall stand re-committed to the business sub-committee.
 
 
Select Committees
Nomination of select committees.     121. - (1) Any Member intending to propose that certain Members be members of a select committee, or be discharged from a select committee, shall give notice of the names of Members whom he intends so to propose, shall endeavour to ascertain previously whether each such Member will give his attendance on the committee, and shall endeavour to give notice to any Member whom he proposes to be discharged from the committee.
 
      (2) No motion shall be made for the nomination of members of select committees appointed under Standing Order No. 152 (Select committees related to government departments) or under Standing Order No. 142 (Domestic Committees), or for their discharge, unless-
 
 
    (a) notice of the motion has been given at least two sitting days previously, and
 
    (b) the motion is made on behalf of the Committee of Selection by the chairman or another member of the committee.
Lists of Members serving on select committees.     122. Lists shall be fixed in some conspicuous place in the Committee Office and in the lobby of the House of all Members serving on each select committee.
 
Sittings of committees.     123. All committees, other than committees of the whole House, shall have leave to sit at any time on any day on which the House sits, but may not otherwise sit during any adjournment of the House, without the leave of the House, and such leave shall not be moved for without notice.
 
Quorum of select committees.     124. - (1) A select committee may not proceed to business unless a quorum be present; and if at any time during the sitting of a select committee a quorum shall not be present, the clerk of the committee shall bring this fact to the notice of the chairman, who shall thereupon suspend the proceedings of the committee until a quorum be present, or adjourn the committee.
 
      (2) In determining whether the requisite number of Members is present to form the quorum the chairman shall be counted.
 
 
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© Parliamentary copyright 2001
Prepared 26 January 2001