Joint committees which are not select committees

41.14There are also joint committees established by statute. Such committees are not parliamentary committees in the sense of being established by Parliament and with the normal powers of a select committee, albeit they may have a close link with the business of Parliament and are comprised exclusively of Members of either House.

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has nine members, drawn from the Members of both Houses. It was first established under s 10 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Headquarters. The words ‘of Parliament’ were added to its title by the Justice and Security Act 20131 in order, according to the objectives of the Government at the time, to signify its relationship to Parliament, and to reflect the intention that it should act as similarly to a select committee as possible. The 2013 Act also developed its powers and remit.2

For the Ecclesiastical Committee, see para 31.48.

Other committees, without the powers of select committees or of those powers conferred by statute, may be established informally: for example, a Consultative Panel on Parliamentary Security is appointed by the Speaker and the House of Lords Commission to support the Speaker and the Lord Speaker in the discharge of their responsibilities for the security of the Parliamentary Estate.