1. © House of Lords 2011
Duncan Sagar, Clerk of Select Committees
27 June 2013
PUBLIC BILL WORKSHOP
Introduction to Lords Committees

2. © House of Lords 2011
Introduction
• What is a Select Committee?
– Within the context of the House of Lords: a body of
members of the House who have been selected to
sit on that body and to which a task or function has
been given or committed.
• Investigative committees versus other types.
• This talk will focus on investigative committees, which
are supported by the Committee Office.

3. © House of Lords 2011
The structure of House of Lords Committees
• Different from the Commons, but evolved largely in
parallel with the modern Commons structure, both
originating from the 1970s.
• Lords Committee activity has expanded over time,
based on the principles of the Jellicoe review in 1992:
- Integration of committee and Chamber work
- No duplication of the work of Commons committees
(normally thematic rather than departmentally based,
as in the Commons)
- At least one ad hoc committee at any one time
- Oversight of committee activity through Liaison
Committee.

4. © House of Lords 2011
Some of those differences...
• A heavier focus on EU scrutiny, an umbrella of six
policy sub-committees working under an overall Select
Committee, looking at the merits, as well as political or
legal significance, of proposals.
• Also cross-cutting permanent Committees on:
– Science & Technology
– Constitutional Affairs
– Economic Affairs
– Communications

5. © House of Lords 2011
New trends
• The House is setting up more and more “ad hoc”
Committees, which look at a specific issue, report, and
are then wrapped up.
• Some are looking at post-legislative scrutiny: last
session the Adoption Act, this session Mental Capacity
and Inquiries Act.
• Some look at stand-alone issues: last session public
services and demographic change and SME exports.
This session “Soft Power”, the Olympic and Paralympic
Games legacy and (probably) personal services
companies.

6. © House of Lords 2011
Joint activity
• There are also joint committees of the two Houses,
with members of both.
• Some are permanent: eg the Joint Committee on
Human Rights or on the National Security Strategy
• Some are set up to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of a
particular piece of draft legislation, eg. the Care Bill, HL
Reform Bill.
• Some are set up to consider urgent matters of public
policy (sometimes with a bit of pre-leg thrown in!) eg the
Commission on Banking Standards.

7. © House of Lords 2011
What’s the point of committees?
• Efficiency – considers things in detail, with a group of
members with specific expertise.
• Evidence – everything we do is evidence-based.
Anyone can submit views. Our recommendations seek
to form public policy and contribute to the debate.
• Holding you (the Government) to account; albeit often
less directly than Commons Committees.

8. © House of Lords 2011
Any
questions?