Procedure in Select Committees

(1) Except as otherwise provided in Standing Orders Nos. 72 to 75 inclusive (Standing Committees), this Standing Order shall apply to all Select Committees. (2) If the Chairman is unable to be present at any meeting, the Committee shall elect another Chairman whose tenure of office shall be for the day of his election. (3) Unless the House otherwise directs, every Select Committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records. (4) A Select Committee shall not have power to delegate any of its functions to its Chairman or any other member. (5) Unless the House otherwise directs, three Members shall be the quorum. In ascertaining whether there is a quorum present, the Member in the Chair shall not be excluded. 84 Belize Constitution (6) The deliberations of a Select Committee shall be confined to the matter referred to it by the House and any extension or limitation thereof made by the House, and, in the case of a Select Committee on a Bill, to the Bill committed to it and relative (7) Where, by resolution of the House or under these Standing Orders, the Speaker or a Minister is Chairman of a Select Committee, the Speaker or the Minister shall appoint the time and place for the holding of the first meeting of the Committee. In all other cases the first meeting of a Select Committee shall be summoned by the Speaker and the first business to be transacted thereat shall be the Election of a Chairman of the Committee; if at such meeting a Chairman is not elected, the Speaker shall appoint a Member of the Committee to be the Chairman. (8) Subsequent meetings shall be held at such time and place as the Select Committee may determine; provided that, if the Committee fail to do so, the Chairman shall, in consultation with the Clerk of the House, appoint such time and place. (9) Subject to any order of the House or resolution of the Committee, the sitting of a Select Committee shall be held in (10) Except by leave of the House no Select Committee may sit while the House is sitting, but a Select Committee may sit any time when the House is adjourned or the sitting of the House is suspended. (11) When it is intended to examine any witnesses the Member requiring such witnesses shall deliver to the clerk of the Committee the name, residence and occupation of any witnesses he desires to examine and the Committee shall decide if and when to summon the witnesses. Belize Constitution 85 (12) If the Committee desires to summon any witnesses, the Chairman shall supply the name, residence and occupation of every such witness to the Clerk of the House at least seven days before his evidence is required. The Clerk shall then, subject to the directions of the Speaker, summon every such witness on behalf of the House. (13) The evidence of every witness shall be taken down verbatim and sent in proof to the witness. The witness shall be at liberty, within fourteen days from that on which the Clerk sent out the proof, to suggest corrections due to inaccurate reporting, and the evidence shall be printed with such of the corrections as may be approved by the Chairman. (14) The Committee may at its discretion refuse to hear any irrelevant evidence or any recalcitrant witness. (15) (a) Any Member of a Select Committee may bring up a report for its consideration, and all such reports shall be entered in full upon the minutes of proceedings of the Committee. When all the reports have been brought up, the Chairman shall propose the reports in order until one is accepted as a basis for discussion, beginning with his own report and proceeding with the remainder in the order in which they were brought up. The question to be proposed by the Chairman on any report shall be “That the Chairman’s (or Mr. ....................’s) report be read a second time paragraph by paragraph”. When this question has been agreed to, it shall not be proposed on any further reports, but any portions thereof may be offered as amendments to the report under consideration, if they are relevant to it. 86 Belize Constitution (b) The Committee shall then proceed to go through the report paragraph by paragraph and paragraphs (1) to (7) of Standing Order No. 54 (Procedure in Committee of the whole House on a Bill) shall apply to such consideration as if the report were a Bill and the paragraphs thereof the clauses of the Bill. (c) Upon the conclusion of the consideration of the report paragraph by paragraph and when all proposed new paragraphs have been considered, the Chairman shall put the question that this report be the report of the Committee to the House.