(3) Sessional Committees reappointed at the beginning of every session to consider certain subjects referred to them
eg the Selection Committee, the Standing Orders Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, the Select Committee on Procedure,
etc;
(4) Select Committees related to Government Departments.
Fourteen such committees were established in 1979, with the primary purpose of scrutinising the work of the administration. There is a committee for each principal Department of Government, among them the Select Committee on Foreign
Affairs.
3. Constitution of Select Committees
Like the other Select Committees related to Government Departments, the Foreign Affairs Committee derives its existence and powers from a Standing Order of the House of Commons. According to the "Memorandum of Guidance for Officials Appearing before Select Committees" issued by the Cabinet Office in March 1988, the relevant Standing Order is S.0. 130, the full text of which appears as Annex A. The key terms of reference of Select Committees are in paragraph
(1), namely,
4.
"to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the principal Government Departments
and associated public
bodies,
It should be noted that the Select Committees are responsible for the interpretation of their own terms of reference. They are also entitled to select any topic falling within their area of reference for investigation. Some guidance on the meaning of these terms of reference was provided by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in a speech on 25 June 1979. He said:-
"The Government also accept the Procedure Committee's view that the Committees must be able to look at the activities of some public bodies that exercise authority of their own and over which Ministers do not have the same direct authority as they
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