§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list the occasions when Special Standing Committees have been established; and what proposals he has to use these procedures in the current Session.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe following Bills have been referred to Special Standing Committees: in Session 1980–81, the Criminal Attempts Bill, the Deep Sea Mining (Temporary Provisions) Bill[Lords], and the Education Bill; in Session 1981–82, the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill [Lords]; and in Session 1983–84, the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Bill [Lords].
As I indicated to the House on 7 November, col. 581, this procedure is really best suited to specialist, highly technical measures which are not really of party-political controversy: I doubt if any of the Bills in the current Session fall into this category.