Commons Select Committees

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

There is a Guide for Witnesses which is intended as a general guide to giving written or oral evidence to a Select Committee of the House of Commons

A

Administration Committee
The Administration Committee considers the services that the House of Commons provides for Members of Parliament and other services provided by the House of Commons.

Armed Forces Bill
House of Commons Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill

B

Business, Innovation and Skills
The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the administration, expenditure and policy of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its associated public bodies, including Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

C

Children, Schools and Families Committee
The Children, Schools and Families Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the administration, expenditure and policy of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and also covers the work of non-departmental public bodies including Ofsted.

Committees on Arms Export Controls (formerly the Quadripartite Committee)
The Committees on Arms Export Controls is the concurrent meeting of four Select Committees: Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; Defence; Foreign Affairs and International Development. The Committees examine the Government's policy on strategic export controls. These controls are designed to ensure that sensitive goods, particularly arms, and technology are kept out of the wrong hands.

Communities and Local Government Committee
The Communities and Local Government Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Communities and Local Government and its associated bodies. On 27 June 2006, by Order of the House, the Select Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions was succeeded by the Communities and Local Government Committee and all proceedings of the former Committee were deemed to be proceedings of the latter.

Culture, Media & Sport Committee
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its associated bodies. Its constitution and powers are set out in House of Commons Standing Order No.152.

D

Defence Committee
The Defence Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies.

E

East Midlands Committee
The East Midlands Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

East of England Committee
The East of England Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

Energy and Climate Change Committee
The Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its associated public bodies.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
The Committee oversees the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its associated public bodies.

Environmental Audit Committee
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) was first established in November 1997 on the initiative of the then Government reflecting a manifesto commitment. It is charged with monitoring the contribution made by Government departments and agencies to environmental protection and sustainable development and auditing progress against targets.

European Scrutiny Committee
The European Scrutiny Committee assesses the legal and/or political importance of each EU document, decides which EU documents are debated, monitors the activities of UK Ministers in the Council, and keeps legal, procedural and institutional developments in the EU under review.

F

Finance and Services Committee
The Finance and Services Committee is one of the Domestic Committees of the House of Commons. It prepares the Estimates for the House's budget for submission to the House of Commons Commission.

Foreign Affairs Committee
The Foreign Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated public bodies.

H

Health Committee
The Health Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department of Health and its associated bodies. Its constitution and powers are set out in House of Commons Standing Order No.152.

Home Affairs Committee
The Committee is charged with examining the expenditure, policy and administration of the Home Office and its associated public bodies

I

International Development Committee
The International Development Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for International Development and its associated public bodies.

J

Justice Committee
The Justice Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Ministry of Justice and its associated public bodies (including the work of staff provided for the administrative work of courts and tribunals, but excluding consideration of individual cases and appointments, and excluding the work of the Scotland and Wales Offices and of the Advocate General for Scotland); and administration and expenditure of the Attorney General's Office, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office (but excluding individual cases and appointments and advice given within government by Law Officers).

L

Liaison Committee
The Liaison Committee is a committee comprising all the chairmen of the select committees in the House of Commons. They meet regularly to look at the work of their committees and decide which select committee reports the House of Commons should be debating.

M

Members' Allowances Committee
The role of the Committee on Members' Allowances is to advise the Members Estimate Committee on the exercise of its functions (which relate to charges on the Members Estimate).

Modernisation of the House of Commons (Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons)
The Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons was appointed to consider how the practices and procedures of the House should be modernised.

N

North East Committee
The North East Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

North West Committee
The North West Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office; administration and expenditure of the Crown Solicitor's Office (but excluding individual cases and advice given by the Crown Solicitor); and other matters within the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (but excluding the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Northern Ireland and the drafting of legislation by the Office of the Legislative Counsel).

P

Privilege (Police Searches on the Parliamentary Estate)
Committee on Issue of Privilege relating to Police Searches on the Parliamentary Estate and Internal Processes of the House Administration for Granting Permission for such Action.

Procedure Committee
The Procedure Committee considers, and makes recommendations on, the practice and procedure of the House in the conduct of public business.

Public Accounts Committee
The main work of the Committee is the examination of the Reports produced by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) on his value for money (VFM) studies of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which Government Departments and other bodies have used their resources to further their objectives. About 50 of these reports are adopted by the Committee, either by taking oral evidence or, occasionally, by sending written questions to the Government departments concerned. The Committee's objective is to draw lessons from past successes and failures which can be applied to future activity by the department examined or more generally.

Public Administration Select Committee
The Public Administration Select Committee is appointed by the House of Commons 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.

R

Reform of the House of Commons Committee

Regional Select Committees
Eight Regional Committees, one for each of England's administrative regions (except London), were established by an Order of the House on 1 January 2009.

Regulatory Reform Committee
The Regulatory Reform Committee (successor to the Deregulation Committee) scrutinises Government proposals for draft legislative reform orders under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. It also has the power to examine matters relating to regulatory reform.

S

Science and Technology Committee
The Science and Technology Committee exists to ensure that Government policy and decision-making are based on good scientific and engineering advice and evidence.  The Committee is unusual amongst departmental select committees in that it scrutinises the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), which is a "semi-autonomous organisation"  based within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Scottish Affairs Committee
The Scottish Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Scotland Office (including (i) relations with the Scottish Parliament and (ii) administration and expenditure of the offices of the Advocate General for Scotland (but excluding individual cases and advice given within government by the Advocate General)).

South East Committee
The South East Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

South West Committee
The South West Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

Statutory Instruments (Select Committee on Statutory Instruments)
The Select Committee on Statutory Instruments is responsible for scrutinising all statutory instruments laid only before the House of Commons. Its work is closely related to that of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.

Standards & Privileges Committee

T

Transport Committee
The Transport Committee was appointed by the House of Commons on 13 July 2005 to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies.

Treasury Committee
The remit of the Treasury Committee, as determined by the House of Commons, is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and associated public bodies, including the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority.

W

Welsh Affairs Committee
The Welsh Affairs Committee is one of the departmentally-related select committees of the House of Commons appointed under Standing Order No 152. Its terms of reference are to examine matters within the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales (including relations with the National Assembly for Wales).

West Midlands Committee
The West Midlands Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"

Work and Pensions Committee
The Work and Pensions Select Committee is appointed under Standing Order No. 152 of the House of Commons to: "examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated public bodies".

Y

Yorkshire and The Humber
The Yorkshire and the Humber Select Committee has the power to "examine regional strategies and the work of regional bodies"