UK Parliament — House of Commons

(1) Except as provided in Standing Order No. 93 (Scottish Grand Committee (composition and business)), Standing Order No. 102 (Welsh Grand Committee (composition and business)), Standing Order No. 109 (Northern Ireland Grand Committee (composition and business)), Standing Order No. 117 (Regional Affairs Committee) and Standing Order No. 119 (European Committees) the quorum of a general committee shall be seventeen or one third of the number of its members excluding the chair, whichever is the less; and in calculating the quorum fractions shall be counted as one.

(2) The public shall be admitted to a general committee unless the committee otherwise orders.

(3) (a) Any notice of an amendment to a bill which has been committed or referred to a general committee, or of a motion relative to a European Union document or documents or an amendment thereto given under Standing Order No. 119 (European Committees) shall stand referred to the committee, and the chair shall have the like powers as are given to the Speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means and either Deputy Chairman respectively by Standing Order No. 32 (Selection of amendments).

(4) (b) Standing Orders No. 29 (Powers of chair to propose question), No. 36 (Closure of debate) and No. 37 (Majority for closure or for proposal of question) shall apply to general committees, except that the number necessary to render the majority effective for the closure or for the proposal of the question shall be the number prescribed as the quorum by paragraph (1) of this order.

(5) (c) The chair of a general committee shall have the like powers as are given to a chair of a committee of the whole House under the following Standing Orders: No. 35 (Dilatory motion in abuse of rules of House), No. 42 (Irrelevance or repetition), No. 42A (Sub judice), and No. 68 (Debate on clause or schedule standing part).

(6) (d) The following Standing Orders shall apply to general committees: No. 124 (Quorum of select committees), No. 128 (Entry on formal minutes of select committee), and No. 129 (Formal minutes to be reported).

(7) On a division being called in the House or a committee of the whole House the chair of a general committee shall suspend the proceedings of the committee for such time as will, in his opinion, enable Members to vote in the division and return to the committee.

(8) All general committees shall have leave to print and circulate their proceedings with the Vote.

(1) The quorum of a standing committee shall be seventeen or one third of the number of its members excluding the chairman, whichever is the less; and in calculating the quorum fractions shall be counted as one.

(2) Strangers shall be admitted to a standing committee unless the committee otherwise order.

(3) (a) Any notice of an amendment to a bill which has been committed or referred to a standing committee shall stand referred to the committee, and the chairman shall have the like powers as are given to Mr. Speaker and the Chairman of Ways and Means respectively by Standing Order No. 33 (Selection of amendments).

(4) (b) Standing Order No. 30 (Closure of debate) and Standing Order No. 31 (Majority for closure) shall apply to standing committees, except that the number necessary to render the majority effective for the closure shall be the number prescribed as the quorum by paragraph (1) of this order.

(5) (c) The chairman of a standing committee shall have the like powers as the Chairman of Ways and Means has under the following standing orders:- No. 22 (Irrelevance or repetition) No. 28 (Dilatory motion in abuse of rules of House) No. 48 (Debate on clause or schedule standing part).

(6) (d) The following standing orders shall apply to standing committees:- No. 79 (Entry on minutes of proceedings of select committees) No. 80 (Minutes of proceedings to be laid upon the Table) No. 83 (Quorum of select committee).

(7) On a division being called in the House the chairman of a standing committee shall suspend the proceedings in the committee for such time as will, in his opinion, enable Members to vote in the division in the House and return to the committee.

(8) All standing committees shall have leave to print and circulate with the Votes the minutes of their proceedings and clauses of bills as amended by them.