Domestic committees
ADMINISTRATION AND WORKS COMMITTEE
10.62 This committee is appointed to consider
administrative services, security, works and accommodation, within
financial limits approved by the House Committee. It decides on
requests to make television programmes about the House. The chairman
is the Chairman of Committees.
HOUSE COMMITTEE
10.63 This committee is appointed to supervise
the general administration of the House and guide the work of
the Management Board; to agree the annual Estimates, Supplementary
Estimates and the three-year spending forecasts; to approve the
House of Lords Annual Report; and to approve changes in employment
policy. The Lord Speaker chairs the committee. The Chairman of
Committees is a member, and speaks for the committee when presenting
its reports and answering questions on administrative matters.[474]
INFORMATION COMMITTEE
10.64 This committee is appointed to consider
information and communications services, including the Library
and the Parliamentary Archives, within financial limits approved
by the House Committee. The chairman is nominated by the Committee
of Selection.
LIAISON COMMITTEE
10.65 This committee advises the House on the
resources required for committee work and on allocation of resources
between committees. It reviews the committee work of the House;
it considers requests for ad hoc committees for particular inquiries;
it seeks to ensure effective co-ordination between the two Houses;
and it considers the availability of members of the House to serve
on committees. The committee consists of eleven members of the
House, including the Leaders of the three main parties and the
Convenor of the Crossbench Peers or their representatives, together
with four backbenchers. The Chairman of Committees is chairman,
and the chairmen of the main investigative committees are entitled
to attend the meetings of the committee on agenda items which
concern them.
COMMITTEE FOR PRIVILEGES
10.66 The House refers to this committee questions
regarding its privileges and claims of peerage and of precedence.
The Committee for Privileges also oversees the operation of the
Register of Interests (see paragraphs 4.81-4.82). The House referred
to the committee two questions of law arising from the House of
Lords Bill in 1999.[475]
The committee consists of 16 members of the House, together with
any four Lords of Appeal.[476]
In any claim of peerage, the committee may not sit unless at least
three Lords of Appeal are present. The chairman is the Chairman
of Committees.
10.67 The Committee for Privileges appoints a
sub-committee on Lords' Interests to consider matters relating
to the declaration and registration of interests (paragraphs 4.81-4.82).
PROCEDURE COMMITTEE
10.68 This committee considers any proposals
for alterations in the procedure of the House that may arise from
time to time, and whether the standing orders require to be amended.
The committee has authority to appoint sub-committees without
an express order of the House.
10.69 The members of the committee are the Chairman
of Committees (in the chair), the Lord Speaker, the Party Leaders
and Chief Whips, the Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, three Labour
backbenchers, three Conservative backbenchers, two Liberal Democrat
backbenchers and two other Crossbenchers. [477]
10.70 The committee as named by the Committee
of Selection is supplemented by one alternate for each party group
of backbench members and one for the Crossbenchers, plus an alternate
for the Convenor. The alternates are also named by the Committee
of Selection. They receive papers, and are entitled to attend
if any of the relevant members cannot, and if necessary to vote.
REFRESHMENT COMMITTEE
10.71 This committee is appointed to consider
the refreshment services provided for the House, within financial
limits approved by the House Committee. The chairman is nominated
by the Committee of Selection.
COMMITTEE OF SELECTION
10.72 In addition to proposing the names of members
of the House to form, and to chair, select committees, this committee
also proposes the panel of Deputy Chairmen of Committees for each
session, as well as the members of any other bodies referred to
it by the Chairman of Committees (currently Parliamentary Broadcasting
Unit Limited (PARBUL) and the Board of the Parliamentary Office
of Science and Technology (POST)) .[478]
The chairman is the Chairman of Committees.
WORKS OF ART COMMITTEE
10.73 This committee is appointed to administer
the House of Lords Works of Art Collection Fund; and to consider
matters relating to works of art and the artistic heritage in
the House of Lords, within financial limits approved by the House
Committee. The chairman is nominated by the Committee of Selection.
Bodies analogous to select committees
AUDIT COMMITTEE
10.74 The Audit Committee consists of members
of the House and an external element. The peers concerned hold
no other office in the House, including membership of any domestic
committee.[479]
Membership of the committee and its terms of reference are the
responsibility of the House Committee.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMITTEE
10.75 The Ecclesiastical Committee is a statutory
body, whose proceedings are not proceedings in Parliament; but
by a resolution of 22 March 1921 it follows the procedure of a
parliamentary joint committee. It consists of 30 members, 15 of
whom are nominated by the Lord Speaker[480]
from the House of Lords for the duration of a Parliament, to consider
Measures: see paragraphs 7.215-7.220.
PARBUL
10.76 The Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit Limited
(PARBUL) was set up in 1991 and is funded by various broadcasting
companies. It has a board of directors which includes representatives
of those companies, and members of both Houses. PARBUL contracts
an independent company to record for television all proceedings
on the floors of both Houses and some committee proceedings. The
broadcasting companies who are shareholders of PARBUL are then
entitled to use the recordings for broadcast use.
POST
10.77 The Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology (POST) provides members of both Houses with information
on science and technology issues. It is controlled by a Board
of members of both Houses and non-parliamentarians. There are
currently four Lords members. By practice they include the chairman
of the Science and Technology Committee and a member of the Information
Committee.
467 Procedure 1st Rpt 1999-2000. Back
468
Liaison 1st Rpt 1998-99. Back
469
Procedure 5th Rpt 2001-02. Back
470
Procedure 3rd Rpt 2003-04. Back
471
Procedure 1st Rpt 1973-74. Back
472
Procedure 1st Rpt 2005-06. Back
473
SO 73 sets out certain exceptions, including regulatory reform
orders, remedial orders and hybrid instruments. Back
474
Report of the Select Committee on the Speakership of the House
of Lords, HL Paper 92 2005-06. Back
475
LJ (1998-99) 653. Back
476
SO 78. Back
477
Procedure 2nd Rpt 2005-06. Back
478
SO 64. Back
479
House 5th Rpt 2001-02. Back
480
Under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, as amended
by Schedule 6 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Back
