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Regulatory Reform Committee: Transfer of Functions

– in the House of Commons at 3:58 pm on 20 May 2021.

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Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 9(6)),

That—

(1) The Regulatory Reform Committee be abolished and its functions transferred to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.

(2) The following amendments be made to Standing Orders:

(a) In Standing Order No. 18 (Consideration of draft legislative reform orders etc.),

(i) in paragraph (1), line 1, leave out “Regulatory Reform Committee” and insert “Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee”, and

(ii) leave out “Standing Order No. 141 (Regulatory Reform Committee)” in each case where it occurs and insert “Standing Order No. 141 (Scrutiny of regulatory and legislative reform orders etc)”.

(b) In Standing Order No. 83P (Certification of instruments), in paragraph (9) leave out “Regulatory Reform Committee” and insert “Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee”.

(c) In Standing Order No. 83Q (Deciding the question on motions relating to certified instruments), in paragraph (1) leave out “Regulatory Reform Committee” and insert “Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee”.

(d) In Standing Order No. 141 (Regulatory Reform Committee),

(i) leave out the title and insert “Scrutiny of regulatory and legislative reform orders etc”,

(ii) leave out “There shall be a select committee, called the Regulatory Reform Committee,” and insert “The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee shall be the select committee”,

(iii) leave out from the end of sub-paragraph 3(l) to the end of paragraph (3),

(iv) leave out paragraphs (10) and (11),

(v) leave out paragraph (12) and insert “In undertaking functions under this order, the committee and any sub-committee of it shall have the assistance of Counsel to the Speaker.”,

(vi) leave out paragraph (13) and insert “In undertaking functions under this order, the committee and any sub-committee of it shall have shall have power to invite Members of the House who are not members of the committee to attend meetings at which witnesses are being examined in relation to matters within paragraphs (1)(i) to (iii) and such Members may, at the discretion of the chair, ask questions of those witnesses; but no Member not being a member of the committee shall otherwise take part in the proceedings of the committee or sub-committee, or be counted in the quorum.”.

(e) In Standing Order No. 142 (Localism Act 2011, etc: scrutiny of certain orders and draft orders),

(i) in paragraph (1) leave out “Regulatory Reform Committee” and insert “Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee”,

(ii) after paragraph (13) add

“ (14) In undertaking functions under this order, the committee and any sub-committee of it shall

(i) have the assistance of Counsel to the Speaker, and

(ii) have power to invite Members of the House who are not members of the committee to attend meetings at which witnesses are being examined in relation to matters within paragraph (1) and such Members may, at the discretion of the chair, ask questions of those witnesses; but no Member not being a member of the committee shall otherwise take part in the proceedings of the committee or sub-committee, or be counted in the quorum.”.

(3) In the Resolution of 19 March 2013 (Positions for which additional salaries are payable for the purposes of Section 4A(2) of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009), as amended on 26 March 2015, 11 October 2016, 4 July and 12 September 2017 and 30 January 2018 and 16 January 3 February and 2 March 2020, leave out “Regulatory Reform Committee”.

(4) In the Order of 20 May 2020 (Liaison (Membership)), leave out “Regulatory Reform”.—(Maggie Throup.)

Question agreed to.

Speaker

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