Select Committees
Legislation is scrutinised by Select Committees, which must consist of between five and seven members. Committees have the power to send for witnesses and records to assist in their deliberations. As in other Westminster Systems, the proceedings of select committees are protected by Parliamentary privilege.
The number and roles of subject committees is regulated by Standing Orders. Currently the following subject committees exist:
| Select Committee | Areas of responsibility |
|---|---|
| Commerce | Business development, commerce, communications, consumer affairs, energy, information technology, insurance, and superannuation. |
| Education and Science | Education, industry training, research, science, and technology. |
| Finance and Expenditure | Audit of the Crown’s and departmental financial statements, review of departmental performance, Government finance, revenue and taxation. |
| Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Trade | Customs, defence, disarmament and arms control, foreign affairs, immigration and trade. |
| Land, Local Government, and Cultural Affairs | Land, Outer Islands, local government, culture, language, traditional affairs. |
| Law and Order | Courts, prisons, police. |
| Labour | Labour, employment relations, occupational health and safety. |
| Privileges | Powers privileges, and immunities of Parliament and its members. |
| Social Services, Health, and Environment | Housing, senior citizens, social welfare, work and income support, public health, environment, conservation. |
In addition there are three standing select committees tasked with the regulation of parliament. These are:
| Select Committee | Areas of responsibility |
|---|---|
| Government Caucus Committee | Business of Parliament each day and the order in which it is taken. |
| Standing Orders Committee | Amendments to Standing Orders. |
| Bills Committee | Private bills. |
Read more about this topic: Parliament Of The Cook Islands
Famous quotes containing the words select and/or committees:
“We select granite for the underpinning of our houses and barns; we build fences of stone; but we do not ourselves rest on an underpinning of granitic truth, the lowest primitive rock. Our sills are rotten.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A committee is organic rather than mechanical in its nature: it is not a structure but a plant. It takes root and grows, it flowers, wilts, and dies, scattering the seed from which other committees will bloom in their turn.”
—C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–1993)