This document provides an overview of the role and structure of select committees in the UK House of Commons. It discusses that select committees examine specific subject areas like government departments, legislation, and domestic matters. Departmental select committees consist of at least 11 MPs from different parties who meet weekly to conduct inquiries through written evidence and public hearings. The goal is for committees to work collaboratively across party lines to scrutinize government work and issue reports and recommendations, to which the government must respond. The document offers advice for engaging with select committees by providing evidence, being available for briefings, and utilizing committee reports. It introduces the staff roles that support each committee's work.

1. PUBLIC BILL WORKSHOP
An introduction to House of
Commons Select Committees
Farrah Bhatti
Second Clerk, Transport Committee
27 June 2013

2. The role of Parliament
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• Examining and challenging the work of the
Government (scrutiny)
• Debating and passing all laws (legislation)
• Enabling the Government to raise taxes

3. Committees
3
• Select Committees: report on a range of subject
areas including the work of government
departments.
• Joint Committees: consist of MPs and Lords.
• General Committees (including Public Bill
Committees): look at proposed legislation in detail.
• Grand Committees: Three in the Commons, that look
at questions on Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland. Grand Committees in the Lords debate Bills
outside the Lords Chamber.

4. Commons select committees
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• Departmental select committees: Examine
spending, policies and administration in each
Government department
• Cross-departmental committees: e.g. Public
Accounts or Environmental Audit
• Domestic committees: concerned with internal
matters e.g. administration of the House itself or
allegations about the conduct of individual MPs
• Liaison Committee: oversight role – made up of all
33 Chairs of select committees

5. Departmental select committees
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• Examine spending, policies and administration in
each Government department
• Consist of at least 11 Members (MPs) from different
political parties (according to the proportion of MPs
each Party has in the House)
• Aim to work consensually across party lines
• Chair elected by whole House, other members
appointed by their parties

6. Committee work
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• Meet once or twice a week
• Majority of work is based on subject-specific
“inquiries”: written evidence from experts, oral
hearings in public, report findings and
recommendations, Government must respond
(usually within 2 months)
• Other work includes pre-/post-legislative scrutiny,
pre-appointment hearings, seminars, commissioning
research, and sending substantive correspondence

7. Select committees in action
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8. Working with select committees
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• Engage with Committee staff (often through
departmental Parly Clerk)
• Watch out for announcements after
Committee meetings
• Provide written evidence (deadlines can
sometimes be negotiated)
• Briefings on likely line of questioning for oral
evidence
• Use our reports and evidence as a resource

9. Committee staff
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• 2 x Clerks – procedure expert, manages
committee work programme and inquiries
• 1-2 x Committee specialists – subject expert,
manages and advises on inquiries
• 2-3 Administrative staff – admin, processing
evidence and reports, updating website etc
... If in doubt, pick up the phone

10. ... Any Questions?
Farrah Bhatti
Second Clerk, Transport Committee
bhattif@parliament.uk
020 7219 6264