Select committees: election of chairs and members

The House elects the chairs of a number of select committees, under Standing Order No 122B.

On the day after the election of the Speaker, the new Speaker informs the House which parties are entitled to select committee chairs that will be elected by the House and how many. The parties then propose which committees each will chair and put a motion before the House.

When this motion has been agreed, the Speaker confirms the timetable for nominating and electing chairs.  Standing Orders provide that two weeks should elapse between the allocation and election of chairs but the Speaker can alter that time period.

On 30 July 2024, the allocation of chairs between the parties was confirmed and the Deputy Speaker announced that nominations would close on Monday 9 September. Elections would then be held on 11 September.

Summary of timetables, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019

* The party affiliation of the Chair of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee was decided on 7 June 2010
# Members of the Standards Committee were nominated on 9 September
## Members of the Standards Committee were nominated on 26 October
$ The Deputy Speaker announced the names of the chairs who were elected unopposed, on 27 January 2020
^ The motion to nominate members of the Scottish Affairs Committee was being debated at the moment of interruption – the debate stood adjourned. Members were nominated to the Scottish Affairs Committee on 4 May 2020

Election of members of select committees

Following the election of chairs, the remaining members can be nominated. On 4 March 2010, the House endorsed “the principle that parties should elect members of select committees in a secret ballot by whichever transparent and democratic method they choose”.  Following elections within parties, the successful candidates are formally proposed to the House by the Committee of Selection.