Select Committees of The Parliament of The United Kingdom

Select Committees Of The Parliament Of The United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Departmental Select Committees came into being in 1979, following the recommendations of a Procedure Select Committee, set up in 1976, which reported in 1978. It recommended the appointment of a series of select committees covering all the main departments of state, with wide terms of reference, and with power to appoint special advisers as the committees deemed appropriate. It also suggested that committee members should be selected independently of the party whips, as chosen by the Select Committee of Selection. The 14 new committees began working effectively in 1980.

Committees can be appointed, as most are, from the House of Commons, like the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, from the House of Lords, like the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, or as a "Joint Committee" drawn from both, such as the Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform. (Note that the Intelligence and Security Committee is not a select committee, though it contains members from both houses. It is a unique committee of parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister and reporting to him or her, not Parliament.) The Commons Select Committees are generally responsible for overseeing the work of government departments and agencies, whereas those of the Lords look at general issues, such as the constitution or the economy. Both Houses have their own committees to review drafts of European Union directives.

The chairmen of (the majority of) select committees have been appointed only as recently as June 2010.