Committees Of The Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament has a number of committees, with small numbers of Members appointed to deal with particular topics or issues.
Much of the work of the Scottish Parliament is done in committee. The role of committees is stronger in the Scottish Parliament than in other parliamentary systems, partly as a means of strengthening the role of backbenchers in their scrutiny of the Government and partly to compensate for the fact that the parliament is unicameral (there is no revising chamber).
The principal role of committees in the Scottish Parliament is to conduct inquiries, scrutinise legislation and hold the government to account. Committee meetings take place in the Parliament's committee rooms all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning when Parliament is sitting. Committees can also meet at other locations throughout Scotland.
Membership of the committees reflects the balance of parties across Parliament. There are different types of committee, with their functions set out in different ways.
The membership of the committees in August 2011 is shown below. All committees also have substitute members (not shown).
Read more about Committees Of The Scottish Parliament: Mandatory Committees, Subject Committees, Scotland Bill Committee, Conveners’ Group, Private Bill Committees
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—C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–1993)
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—18th-century Scottish proverb, collected in James Kelly, Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs, no. 351 (1721)
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