What Are Departmental Select Committees And What Do They Do?

Departmental select committees examine the expenditure, administration and policy of individual government administrations and report back to the House. There are 17 departmental select committees, which each have 11 members (except the one for Northern Ireland which has 13). Members are chosen from the Committee of selection which nominate MPs roughly reflecting the relative party sizes in the Commons as a whole. However, no government ministers, frontbench opposition members, or whips attend.

Select committees aim to produce unanimous reports at the end of their investigation. In theory, they can investigate any issue within the scope of the work of the relevant department, although time places severe limits on what a small group of backbench MPs achieve. Witnesses can be interviewed, evidence taken and specialist advisers appointed. Despite these powers, the committees may not obtain the information they require. Membership of select committees is more popular than membership of standing committees because MPs believe that the work done by such committees is important. It is reflected by the attention sometimes given by the media to the work of committees.