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
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• 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