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difficult to draw, and in any case of doubt Departments will wish
to consult Ministers before official witnesses give evidence.
appearances by Ministers, see paragraph 8).
Legislation
(On
29. The Committees do not normally consider topics on which the
Government have already undertaken to legislate. This limitation
is designed to ensure that the Committees do not preempt discussions
which will take place on the floor of the House or in Standing
Committee when the legislation is being considered, and thus simply
add another Parliamentary stage to the legislation. Cfficials should
not enter into discussion of legislative proposals with a Committee
in the period between their submission to the relevant policy committee
and the introduction of a Bill unless these proposals have already
been published in the form of a White Paper or a statement to the
House.
Subjects where Departmental Responsibility is Not Self-Evident
30. Generally speaking the subjects of enquiry by Select Committees,
and particularly those by the Sub-Committees of the Expenditure
Committee, will fall clearly within the responsibilities of particular
departments. Occasionally, however, problems may arise when
Committees inquire into subjects where departmental responsibility is
not self-evident. The aim must be to ensure that Committees direct
their questions on each aspect of such subjects to the department
chiefly concerned with that aspect, and do not question departments
whose role is that of co-ordination about mutters which go outside
that role. This indicates that where in such cases the Committee
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