House of Commons Public Bill Committee Proceedings

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
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House of Commons Standing Orders - Public Business

(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 (12) 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 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.

(13) 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.

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 House of Commons:

Administration for submission to the House of

Commons Commission;

(b) to monitor the financial performance of the House

Administration; 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 the

Administration Committee.

(2) The committee shall consist of not more than eleven

Members.

(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; and

(b) to communicate its evidence to the House of

Commons Commission.

(5) 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 days as may be appointed

by the Speaker in pursuance of paragraph (13) of

Standing Order No. 10 (Sittings in Westminster Hall).

(2) The committee may also hear evidence from the Prime

Minister on matters of public policy.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(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.

(6) The committee shall have power to appoint a sub-

committee, which shall have power to send for persons, papers

and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the

House, and to report to the committee from time to time.

(7) The committee shall have power to report from time to

time the minutes of evidence taken before the sub-committee.

(8) The quorum of the sub-committee shall be three.

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.

(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.

(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.

(4) The committee shall have power to appoint a

sub‑committee, which 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.

(5) The committee shall have power to report from time to

time the minutes of evidence taken before the sub‑committee.

(6) The quorum of the sub‑committee shall be three.

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 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, to report from time

to time, and 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.

(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.

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. 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.

Committee on

Standards and

Privileges.

149.—(1) There shall be a select committee, called the

Committee on Standards and Privileges—

(a) to consider specific matters relating to privileges

referred to it by the House;

(b) to oversee the work of the Parliamentary

Commissioner for Standards; to examine the

arrangements proposed by the Commissioner for the

compilation, maintenance and accessibility of the

Register of Members’ Interests and any other registers

of interest established by the House; to review from

time to time the form and content of those registers;

and to consider any specific complaints made in

relation to the registering or declaring of interests

referred to it by the Commissioner; and

(c) to consider any matter relating to the conduct of

Members, including specific complaints in relation to

alleged breaches in any code of conduct to which the

House has agreed and which have been drawn to the

committee’s attention by the Commissioner; and to

recommend any modifications to such code of conduct

as may from time to time appear to be necessary.

(2) The committee shall consist of ten Members, of whom

five shall be a quorum.

(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.

(4) The committee shall have power to appoint

sub‑committees consisting of no more than seven Members, of

whom three shall be a quorum, and to refer to such

sub‑committees any of the matters referred to the committee.

(5) The committee and any 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,

to report from time to time, to appoint legal advisers, and 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.

(6) The committee shall have power to order the attendance

of any Member before the committee or any sub‑committee

and to require that specific documents or records in the

possession of a Member relating to its inquiries, or to the

inquiries of a sub‑committee or of the Commissioner, be laid

before the committee or any sub‑committee.

(7) The committee, or any sub‑committee, shall have power

to refer to unreported evidence of former Committees of

Privileges or of former Select Committees on Members’

Interests and to any documents circulated to any such

committee.

(8) The committee shall have power to refuse to allow

proceedings to which the public are admitted to be broadcast.

(9) Mr Attorney General, the Advocate General and Mr

Solicitor General, being Members of the House, may attend the

committee or any sub‑committee, may take part in

deliberations, may receive committee or sub‑committee papers

and may give such other assistance to the committee or

sub‑committee as may be appropriate, but shall not vote or

make any motion or move any amendment or be counted in the

quorum.

Parliamentary

Commissioner

for Standards.

150.—(1) There shall be an Officer of this House, called the

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, who shall be

appointed by the House.

(2) The principal duties of the Commissioner shall be—

(a) to maintain the Register of Members’ Interests and

any other registers of interest established by the House,

and to make such arrangements for the compilation,