House of Commons Select Committees
House of Commons Select Committees are an important part of Parliament, and an integral part of many MPs' work. They are generally linked to a specific department and examine three aspects of the department; spending, policies and administration. Their aim is to oversee the work of the Government and the departments and agencies linked to them. They therefore play a very important role in scrutinising Government decisions.
Specialised committees have existed in Parliament since the sixteenth century, but it was only in 1979 that the Select Committees as we know now came into being. Their creation followed the recommendations of the Procedure Select Committee, set up in 1976, which recommended the creation of select committees.
Select Committees have a minimum of 11 members - all members have a say in the lines of inquiry, and the members will gather written and oral evidence. Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The Government of the day is then expected to respond.
Defence Select Committee
It was a pleasure to be elected onto the Defence Select Committee at the start of the new Parliament. As the only female Member of Parliament who has also served in the regular Armed Forces, it was a promise of mine when I became elected to represent the Armed Forces of Wrexham and the United Kingdom. Therefore, I am pleased that I am able to do so as part of the Select Committee.
Some of the inquiries that I have been involved with include (click to read more on the UK Parliament website):
- The Security of 5G
- The Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review
- Foreign Involvement in the Defence Supply Chain
Coming up, I will also be chairing a Sub-Committee entitled 'Women in the Armed Forces: From Recruitment To Civilian Life'. You can read more about that here.
Below you can see the current membership of the committee:
