The Defence Committee
The Defence Committee is appointed to examine on
behalf of the House of Commons the expenditure, administration
and policy of the Ministry of Defence (and any associated public
bodies). Its constitution and powers are set out in House of Commons
Standing Order No. 152.
The Committee has a maximum of eleven members, of
whom the quorum for any formal proceedings is three. The members
of the Committee are appointed by the House and unless discharged
remain on the Committee until the next dissolution of Parliament.
The present membership of the Committee is as follows:[1]
Mr James Cran, MP (Conservative,
Beverley and Holderness)[2]
Mr David Crausby MP (Labour, Bolton North East)[3]
Mr Bruce George MP (Labour, Walsall South)3
Mr Mike Hancock CBE MP (Liberal Democrat, Portsmouth
South)3
Mr Gerald Howarth MP (Conservative, Aldershot)3
Mr Kevan Jones MP (Labour, North Durham)3
Jim Knight MP (Labour, South Dorset)3
Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative, Newark)3
Syd Rapson BEM MP (Labour, Portsmouth North)3
Mr Frank Roy MP (Labour, Motherwell and Wishaw)3
Rachel Squire MP (Labour, Dunfermline West)3
On 18 July 2001, the Committee elected Mr Bruce George
as its Chairman.
The Committee has the power to require the submission
of written evidence and documents, to examine witnesses, and to
make Reports to the House. It has the power to appoint a sub-committee.
The Committee or its sub-committee may meet at any time (except
when Parliament is prorogued or dissolved) and at any place within
the United Kingdom. They may meet concurrently with other committees
of either House for the purpose of deliberating, taking evidence
or considering draft reports (and with sub-committees for the
purpose of deliberating and taking evidence). They may exchange
evidence with other committees and sub-committees.
In the footnotes to this Report, references to oral
evidence are indicated by 'Q' followed by the question number;
references to the written evidence are indicated by 'Ev' followed
by a page number.
The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published
by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications
of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet
at:
www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/defhome.htm.
All correspondence should be addressed to The Clerk
of the Defence Committee, Committee Office, House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general inquiries is
020 7219 5745; the Committee's e-mail address is defcom@parliament.uk.
1 Dr Julian Lewis MP (Conservative, New Forest East)
was appointed on 16 July 2001 and discharged on 29 October 2001 Back
2 Appointed
on 29 October 2001 Back
3 Appointed
on 16 July 2001 Back
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