Committees

Committees

Much of the work of the House of Commons and the House of Lords takes place in committees, made up of around 10 to 50 MPs or Lords. These committees examine issues in detail, from government policy and proposed new laws, to wider topics like the economy.

Select Committees

Select Committees work in both Houses. They check and report on areas ranging from the work of government departments to economic affairs.

Joint Committees

Joint Committees are committees consisting of MPs and Lords.

General Committees (including Public Bill Committees)

These committees are unique to the Commons and mainly look at proposed legislation in detail. They include all committees formerly known as Standing Committees. The House of Commons has three Grand Committees

Grand Committees

The Commons has three Grand Committees which look at questions on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Grand Committees in the Lords debate Bills outside the Lords Chamber.

Lords committee calendar

Find out when House of Lords Committees are next meeting.

Commons committee calendar

Advance information about all public committee meetings, publication dates of reports and debates.

Current committees

For more about the work of a Select Committee - use our A- Z index.