Part of Bills Presented. – in the House of Commons am ar 16 Mai 1924.
Major Sir Richard Barnett
, St Pancras South West
I wish to ask your ruling, Sir, on a question of Order arising out of a Motion standing on the Paper to-day in the name of the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Mr. Mardy Jones)—
That the growing practice of the Chairmen of Standing Committees in allowing practically unlimited and irrelevant debate on Bills promoted by private Members is to be deprecated as being subversive of private Members' rights, and that in this respect the conduct of the hon. Member for South-West St. Pancras, as Chairman of Standing Committee A, in respect of the Rent Restrictions Bill, has been particularly reprehensible.
The point of order on which I wish to ask your ruling, Sir, is this: Is there a censorship of the Notices of Motion which are handed in at the Table, and, if so, is it in Order to place upon the Paper a Notice of Motion charging the Chairman of a Standing Committee with conduct of a particularly reprehensible kind?
A proposal for new legislation that is debated by Parliament.
In a normal session there are up to ten standing committees on bills. Each has a chair and from 16 to 50 members. Standing committee members on bills are appointed afresh for each new bill by the Committee of Selection which is required to take account of the composition of the House of Commons (ie. party proportions) as well as the qualification of members to be nominated. The committees are chaired by a member of the Chairmen's Panel (whose members are appointed by the Speaker). In standing committees the Chairman has much the same function as the Speaker in the House of Commons. Like the Speaker, a chairman votes only in the event of a tie, and then usually in accordance with precedent. The committees consider each bill clause by clause and may make amendments. There are no standing committees in the House of Lords.
