House Committee (General)

1995/96 Session

The House Committee comprises all Members, except the President, who elect from amongst themselves the chairman and deputy chairman. While the Council is in session, the committee normally meets every Friday to discuss Council business, prepare for sittings of the Council, and consider matters relevant to the work of the Council. Meetings are normally open to the public. In the 1994-95 session, 31 House Committee meetings were held.

The House Committee coordinates the activities and develops the procedures of the Council and most of its committees. It also serves as a focal point for establishing a formal and regular dialogue with the Administration. The Committee organizes periodic briefings by the Chief Secretary and the Financial Secretary on important issues affecting the public and those concerning Council business.

One of the important functions of the House Committee is to study legislative proposals made by the Government or Members. Bills introduced into the Council and subsidiary legislation tabled at a Council sitting are referred to the House Committee, which may form Bills Committees to scrutinize the bills or Subcommittees to assist in the consideration of certain items of the subsidiary legislation in greater detail. The Committee then monitors progress and studies reports submitted by the Bills Committees or Subcommittees concerned.

Another important role played by the House Committee is to determine the number and the terms of reference of Legislative Council Panels, which are formal committees set up to examine and monitor areas of Government policy. It receives reports from Panels either for information or for deliberation.