HC Deb 13 November 1968 vol 773 cc537-8

Motion made, and Question proposed,

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the activities of the Department of Education and Science and the Scottish Education Department and to report thereon this Session:

That Mr. Walter Alldritt, Mr. Ronald Bell, Mr. James Hamilton, Mr. Richard Hornby, Mr. Gilbert Longden, Mr. Kenneth Marks, Mr. Richard Mitchell, Mr. Trevor Park, Mr. Christopher Price, Mr. Arnold Shaw, Mr. van Straubenzee, Mr. Frederick Willey and Mr. Esmond Wright be Members of the Committee:

That the. Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, to adjourn from place to place, and to admit strangers during the examination of witnesses unless they otherwise order; and to report Minutes of Evidence from time to time:

That Four be the Quorum:

That the Committee have power to appoint Sub-Committees and to refer to such Sub-Committees any of the matters referred to the Committee:

That every such Sub-Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House, to adjourn from place to place, to report to the Committee from time to time, and to admit strangers during the examination of witnesses unless they otherwise order:

That Three be the Quorum of every such Sub-Committee:

That the Committee have power to report from time to time the Minutes of the Evidence taken before such Sub-Committee and reported by them to the Committee.—[Mr. O'Malley.]

9.59 p.m.

Mr. Trevor Park (Derbyshire, South-East)

It is not my wish to oppose the Motion, but merely to seek clarification from the Front Bench which, in view of some of the suspicions about the Government's attitude to the future of Select Committees, perhaps ought to be given.

In the terms of the Motion there is a reference to the fact that the Commit- tee must report this Session. Such a reference is not included in the terms applying to a number of other Select Committees. Indeed, we all know of cases in the past—

Mr. Speaker

Order. If the hon. Members speaks until 10 o'clock, the debate will stand adjourned.

Mr. Park

Then I will shorten what I have to say and ask for quick clarification on the point.

Mr. Brian O'Malley (Lord Commissioner of the Treasury)

I can assure my hon. Friend that there is nothing sinister in this wording. It is standard phraseology for the setting up of Committees of this kind.

Question put and agreed to.