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:
“Here lies the body of Sir John Guise.
Nobody laughs, and nobody cries;
Where his soul is and how it fares
Nobody knows and nobody cares.”
—Anonymous. From Frobisher’s New Select Collection of Epitaphs (c. 1791)
“What lies behind facts like these: that so recently one could not have said Scott was not perfect without earning at least sorrowful disapproval; that a year after the Gang of Four were perfect, they were villains; that in the fifties in the United States a nothing-man called McCarthy was able to intimidate and terrorise sane and sensible people, but that in the sixties young people summoned before similar committees simply laughed.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)