HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

8.222 The Measure is submitted first to the Ecclesiastical Committee,
which is appointed pursuant to the 1919 Act for the duration of a
Parliament and which consists of 15 members of the House of Lords,
nominated by the Lord Speaker, and 15 Members of the House of
Commons, nominated by the Commons Speaker. The committee
appoints its own chairman; by practice, this is a former holder of high
judicial office. Being a statutory committee the committee is not formally
a joint committee, nor are its proceedings “proceedings in Parliament”; 1
but it has resolved to adopt the procedure of a joint committee.
8.223 The committee reports on the nature and legal effect of the
Measure, and gives its views on whether the Measure should proceed (“is
expedient”), especially with relation to the constitutional rights of all Her
Majesty’s subjects. During its consideration of a Measure the Ecclesiastical
Committee may, either of its own motion or at the request of the
Legislative Committee of the General Synod, invite the Legislative
Committee to discuss its provisions at a conference.
8.224 The committee communicates its report in draft to the Legislative
Committee, and may not present its report to Parliament until the
Legislative Committee asks it to do so. The Legislative Committee may,
at any time before the presentation of the Ecclesiastical Committee’s
report to Parliament, withdraw a Measure from the consideration of that
committee, and has invariably done so in the face of an unfavourable
draft report.
8.225 If the Legislative Committee decides to proceed with the Measure,
the text of the Measure and the report of the Ecclesiastical Committee
are laid before Parliament. If the Chairman of Committees and the
Chairman of Ways and Means in the Commons think that a Measure
deals with two or more subjects which might more properly be divided,
they can divide a Measure at this point and it is printed as separate
Measures. A resolution for presenting the Measure to Her Majesty for
Royal Assent may then be moved. Where a Measure affects the interests
or prerogative of the Crown, Consent is required as for a bill. It is
signified before the motion is moved in the House. If both Houses agree
to such a motion, the Measure is ready for Royal Assent.
1 See paragraph 12.03.
170