– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 March 1974.
Ordered,That a Select Committee be appointed to join with a Committee appointed by the Lords to consider:—
(1) Every instrument which is laid before each House of Parliament and upon which proceedings may be or might have been taken in either House of Parliament, in pursuance of an Act of Parliament; being
(2) Every general statutory instrument not within the foregoing classes, and not required to be laid before or to be subject to proceedings in this House only, but not including Measures under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 and instruments made under such Measures, with a view to determining whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to it on any of the following grounds—
on any other ground which does not impinge on its merits or on the policy behind it; and to report their decision with the reasons thereof in any particular case:
Ordered,That the Committee and any Sub-committee appointed by them have power to require any Government department concerned to submit a memorandum explaining any instrument which may be under their consideration or
to depute a representative to appear before them as a Witness for the purpose of explaining any such instrument:
Ordered,That it be an Instruction to the Committee that before reporting that the special attention of the House be drawn to any instrument the Committee do afford to any Government department concerned therewith an opportunity of furnishing orally or in writing to them or to any Sub-committee appointed by them such explanations as the department think fit:
Ordered,That is to be an Instruction to the Committee that they do consider any instrument which is directed by Act of Parliament to be laid before and to be subject to proceedings in this House only, being—
and that they have power to draw such instruments to the special attention of the House on any of the grounds on which the Joint Committee are empowered so to draw the special attention of the House; and that in considering any such instrument the Committee do not join with the Committee appointed by the Lords.—[Mr. Walter Harrison.]