Parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom

Committee meetings take place in committee rooms at the Palace of Westminster (right) and Portcullis House (left)

The parliamentary committees of the United Kingdom are committees of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Each consists of a small number of Members of Parliament from the House of Commons, or peers from the House of Lords, or a mix of both, appointed to deal with particular areas or issues; most are made up of members of the Commons. The majority of parliamentary committees are select committees. The remit of these committees vary depending on whether they are committees of the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

House of Commons

Select committees

Select committees in the Commons are designed to oversee the work of departments and agencies, examine topical issues affecting the country or individual regions or nations, and review and advise on the procedures, workings and rules of the House.

Departmental select committees are designed to oversee and examine the work of individual government departments and any related departmental bodies and agencies.
Topical select committees examine topical issues of importance.
Internal select committees have responsibility with respect to the day-to-day running of Parliament.^[1]

Departmental select committees
Committee	Chair			Responsibility
Committee	Name		Since	Responsibility
Business and Trade Select Committee				Department for Business and Trade and related bodies
Culture, Media and Sport Committee		Caroline Dinenage	2023	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Defence Select Committee				Ministry of Defence
Education Select Committee				Department for Education and related bodies
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee		Alistair Carmichael	2024	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and associated bodies
Foreign Affairs Select Committee				Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and associated bodies
Health and Social Care Select Committee		Layla Moran	2024	Department of Health and Social Care and related bodies
Home Affairs Select Committee				Home Office and related bodies
International Development Select Committee				Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and associated bodies
Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee				Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and related bodies
Justice Select Committee				Ministry of Justice, related agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service, and other agencies that report to the Lord Chancellor
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee				Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Northern Ireland Affairs Committee		Tonia Antoniazzi	2023	The work of the devolved government and the Northern Ireland Office
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee				Government Office for Science, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and related bodies
Scottish Affairs Committee				The work of the devolved government and the Scotland Office
Transport Select Committee				Department for Transport
Treasury Select Committee		Meg Hillier	2022	Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs
Welsh Affairs Select Committee		Ruth Jones	2020	The Wales Office and UK Government policies which impact Wales
Women and Equalities Committee				The Government Equalities Office and policies which affect equality law and policy
Work and Pensions Select Committee				Department for Work and Pensions

Topical select committees
Committee	Chair			Responsibility
Committee	Name		Since	Responsibility
Environmental Audit Select Committee				Examines the contribution of government policies to environmental protection and sustainable development
Liaison Committee				Examines the work of select committees in general, as well as hearing annual evidence from the Prime Minister
Public Accounts Select Committee				Examines government and parliamentary expenditure to ensure honesty and fairness
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee				Examines the work and administration of the Civil Service, as well as reports from the Parliamentary Ombudsman
Arms Export Controls Committee				Composed of members of the Business, Defence, Foreign Affairs and International Development committees, examines exports of arms from the UK
Regulatory Reform Committee				Examines draft legislative reform orders as proposed under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, as well as regulation in general
Select Committee on Statutory Instruments				Examines all statutory instruments laid before the Commons
Petitions		Jamie Stone	2024	Oversees petitions submitted to Parliament

Internal select committees
Committee	Chair			Responsibility
Committee	Name		Since	Responsibility
Administration Committee				Examines the services offered to members of the Commons, as well as services offered to the public
Backbench Business Committee		Ian Mearns	2015	Determines business to be debated at certain times set aside for backbenchers
Finance Committee				Examines the budget and expenditure of the House of Commons, including the administration budget
Committee on Standards		Bob Blackman	2024	Oversees Parliamentary standards and members' interests and conduct
Committee of Privileges				Considers specific matters relating to privileges referred to it by the House
Procedure Committee				Examines the practice and procedures of the Commons in dealing with public business
Committee of Selection				Recommends the appointment of members to parliamentary committees

General committees

Public bill committees (formerly known as Standing Committees on Bills)
Delegated Legislation Committees
European Committees
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
Regional Affairs Committee
Scottish Grand Committee
Welsh Grand Committee

Others

House of Lords

The House of Lords appoint Sessional select committees to examine and explore general issues such as the constitution or the economy; the European Union Committee scrutinises EU action via its sub-committees; each session Special Inquiry committees are appointed to examine specific issues.

Topical

Communications and Digital Committee
Constitution Committee
International Agreements Committee
International Relations and Defence Committee
Science and Technology Committee
Economic Affairs Committee
- Finance Bill Sub-Committee
European Affairs Committee
- Windsor Framework Sub-Committee

Special Inquiry (2019–21 Session)

Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 Select Committee
Food, Poverty, Health & the Environment Select Committee
Social and Economic Impact of Gambling Select Committee
Democracy & Digital Technologies Select Committee

Legislative

Internal

Domestic

Services Committee

Joint house committees

Joint Committees are committees formed to examine a particular issue, whose membership is from both the Commons and the Lords.

Former committees

Occasionally, committees will be discharged. This occurs when existing committees are no longer required or have their responsibilities transferred to a different committee, effectively rendering the original committee void. It is more common, however, for committees to be discharged as a result of the abolition of government departments, for example the abolition of the Department of Education and Skills in June 2007 resulted in the abolition of the Education and Skills Select Committee shortly afterwards.^[2]

Commons

Departmental

Agriculture Select Committee - dissolved in 2001, and replaced by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee following the replacement of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Business and Enterprise Select Committee - dissolved 30 September 2009, and replaced by the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee following the replacement of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Constitutional Affairs Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced by the Justice Select Committee following the replacement of the Department for Constitutional Affairs with the Ministry of Justice.^[2]
Education and Employment Select Committee - split in 2001 into the Education and Skills Select Committee and the Work and Pensions Select Committee following the splitting of the Department for Education and Employment into two distinct departments.
Education and Skills Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced with the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee and the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee following the replacement of the Department of Education and Skills with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.^[2]
Energy and Climate Change Select Committee - abolished after the Department for Energy and Climate Change was merged into the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016.
Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee - abolished in 2001, with the environment portion of the committee's remit being transferred to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and the remainder being transferred to the new Transport, Local Government and the Regions Select Committee following changes to several government departments following the 2001 general election.
Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee - dissolved 30 September 2009 following the abolition of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Technically replaced by the Science and Technology Select Committee.
Lord Chancellor's Department Committee – abolished in 2003 following the merging of the Lord Chancellor's Department into the Department for Constitutional Affairs
Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister – abolished in 2006 and replaced with the Communities and Local Government Select Committee following the abolition of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which was replaced by the Department for Communities and Local Government
Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee – created in 2010 to scrutinise the work of Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, who had responsibility for political and constitutional reform in the coalition government. On 3 June 2015 it was merged with the Public Administration Select Committee to form the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.^[3]
Public Administration Select Committee – merged with the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee on 3 June 2015 to form the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.^[4]
Science and Technology Committee – abolished in 2007 following the creation of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee
Social Security Select Committee – abolished in 2001 and replaced with the Work and Pensions Select Committee following the replacement of the Department of Social Security with the Department for Work and Pensions
Trade and Industry Select Committee - dissolved 25 July 2007, and replaced with the Business and Enterprise Select Committee following the replacement of the Department of Trade and Industry with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.^[2]
Transport, Local Government and the Regions Select Committee – abolished after less than one year and replaced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee and the Transport Select Committee

Domestic

All five domestic committees were abolished in 2005 and replaced by a single committee – the Administration Committee.

Internal

Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons (examined how Commons practices and procedures could be modernised)

Legislative

Legislative grand committees

Regional

The House of Commons set up eight regional select committees in November 2008, whose members were first appointed on 3 March 2009. The committees were formed of five Labour members, as opposed to the nine members from various parties as was agreed in the original motion, due to the refusal of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to nominate any members as a sign of their opposition to setting up the committees.^[5] The resolution that formed the committees expired at the end of the 2005/10 Parliament. The succeeding coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats chose not to renew it.^[6]

Lords

Topical

European Union Committee
- Environment Sub-Committee
- Goods Sub-Committee
- Security & Justice Sub-Committee
- Services Sub-Committee

Internal

House Committee (replaced by House of Lords Commission)
Privileges and Conduct Committee (split into Conduct Committee and Procedure and Privileges Committee)

Domestic

Administration and Works Committee (replaced by Services Committee)
Information Committee (replaced by Services Committee)
Refreshment Committee (replaced by Services Committee)
House of Lords Offices Committee

Joint

References

^ "Select Committee chair election results". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 25 July 2007 (pt 0018)". publications.parliament.uk.
^ "Political and Constitutional Reform Committee". UK Parliament.
^ "Public Administration Select Committee (PASC)". UK Parliament.
^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 03 Mar 2009 (pt 0013)". publications.parliament.uk.
^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 27 May 2010 (pt 0001)". publications.parliament.uk.

External links

[1] "Select Committee chair election results". Retrieved 26 June 2015.

[hansard250707-2] "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 25 July 2007 (pt 0018)". publications.parliament.uk.

[3] "Political and Constitutional Reform Committee". UK Parliament.

[4] "Public Administration Select Committee (PASC)". UK Parliament.

[5] "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 03 Mar 2009 (pt 0013)". publications.parliament.uk.

[6] "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 27 May 2010 (pt 0001)". publications.parliament.uk.

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