Delegated Legislation Committees
Encyclopedia
Delegated Legislation Committees are general committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom that allow for debate of statutory instrument
s and Church Measures
that have been laid before the House of Commons. With respect to statutory instruments, it differs from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
and Commons Select Committee on Statutory Instruments
in that those committees only scrutinise certain technical aspects of them. By contrast, Delegated Legislation Committees provide a forum for discussing the merits of proposed instruments. They do not approve or reject delegated legislation, but merely debate it on a motion "That this committee has considered" the legislation. A statutory instrument or measure debated in a Delegated Legislation Committee is not later debated on the House floor; rather, a vote is taken without debate if one is sought.
Committees have between 16 and 50 (currently usually 18) members; as with other general committees, the Speaker
appoints the chair, and the Committee of Selection appoints the other members. Any MP may participate in proceedings of a Delegated Legislation Committee, allowing all MPs an opportunity to debate pieces of delegated legislation, but only members of the committee may vote or are counted toward the quorum. Legislation is distributed among the committees by the Speaker, but a fresh committee is nominated for each instrument (or for a small group of related instruments).
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
s and Church Measures
Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919
The Church of England Assembly Act 1919 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gives the Church of England the power to pass primary legislation called Measures. Measures have the same force and effect as Acts of Parliament...
that have been laid before the House of Commons. With respect to statutory instruments, it differs from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments
The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments is a select committee of both the House of Commons and House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to scrutinise all statutory instruments made in exercise of powers granted by Act of Parliament...
and Commons Select Committee on Statutory Instruments
Select Committee on Statutory Instruments
The Select Committee on Statutory Instruments is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to scrutinise statutory instruments made in exercise of powers granted by Act of Parliament where the instrument has been laid before...
in that those committees only scrutinise certain technical aspects of them. By contrast, Delegated Legislation Committees provide a forum for discussing the merits of proposed instruments. They do not approve or reject delegated legislation, but merely debate it on a motion "That this committee has considered" the legislation. A statutory instrument or measure debated in a Delegated Legislation Committee is not later debated on the House floor; rather, a vote is taken without debate if one is sought.
Committees have between 16 and 50 (currently usually 18) members; as with other general committees, the Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
appoints the chair, and the Committee of Selection appoints the other members. Any MP may participate in proceedings of a Delegated Legislation Committee, allowing all MPs an opportunity to debate pieces of delegated legislation, but only members of the committee may vote or are counted toward the quorum. Legislation is distributed among the committees by the Speaker, but a fresh committee is nominated for each instrument (or for a small group of related instruments).