A public bill committee is a temporary committee of MPs set up by the House of Commons to scrutinise the text of a specific bill after it has passed its second reading.

During the bill’s “committee stage”, the cross-party group examines the proposed legislation line by line and clause by clause, taking evidence from experts and stakeholders, while considering proposed amendments.

This stage is a crucial part of the legislative process. It represents the most detailed scrutiny a bill will receive in the House of Commons. The system of public bill committees was introduced in 2006, replacing the older “standing committee” system.

How do public bill committees operate?

Once a bill has passed its second reading (an initial debate on its principles), it is referred to a public bill committee.

Taking evidence

A key feature of the public bill committee system is its treatment of evidence.

The committee accepts written evidence, which anyone can submit and may be published.

Significantly, before beginning the formal line-by-line scrutiny, the committee may hold several oral evidence sessions. The committee’s first meeting will agree a programme of witnesses to be heard in oral evidence. Ministers, civil servants, academic experts, lobby groups, charities and other interested parties can provide evidence on the content and potential impact of the bill. (Oral evidence is not taken if the bill began life in the House of Lords).

This evidence-gathering stage is designed to better inform the subsequent scrutiny of the bill’s text.

Clause-by-clause scrutiny

After the evidence sessions, the committee begins its formal scrutiny. It proceeds through the bill clause by clause, debating the details of each one. Members of the committee can table amendments to change the wording of a clause, to add new clauses or to remove existing ones. MPs who are not members of a committee can submit amendments so long as they are moved by a member of the committee.

Each amendment is debated, and the committee will often vote (divide) on whether to accept or reject it.

Government majority

The membership of the committee reflects the political party balance in the House of Commons as a whole. This means the government will always have a majority of members on the committee. As a result, the government can usually win any votes on amendments proposed by opposition parties.

However, the process of debate and the evidence presented may persuade a minister to accept the need for a change. They may agree to an amendment or promise to bring back their own government amendment at a later stage.

Reporting back to the House

Once the committee has concluded its scrutiny of every clause, it reports the bill, with any amendments that have been made, back to the House of Commons. The bill then proceeds to its next legislative stage, the report stage.

The committee disbands once it has finished considering the bill.

Timetabling

For most government bills, a timetable for its passage is set by a “programme motion”. This is generally agreed by the whole House after a bill’s second reading.

This motion will set a final date by which the public bill committee must complete its work and report the bill back to the House.

Public bill committee: membership and chair

Each public bill committee is a temporary body that ceases to exist once it has finished its work on a specific bill.

A public bill committee typically has 17 members, who are chosen for their interest or expertise in the bill’s subject. The minister responsible for the bill and their opposition counterpart (the shadow minister) are always members.

The committee is chaired by an impartial MP who is drawn from the panel of chairs.

The panel of chairs is made up of MPs chosen by the House of Commons speaker, typically at the beginning of every parliament, to chair public bill committees and other commons general committees. The chair does not participate in debates.

What is a committee of the whole House?

A committee of the whole House is a procedure in the House of Commons where the detailed, clause-by-clause scrutiny of a bill, known as its committee stage, takes place in the main chamber rather than in a separate committee room. This allows every MP to participate in the debate and propose and vote on amendments.

The procedure is traditionally reserved for bills of significant national, constitutional or financial importance, which are considered to require the attention of all 650 MPs. It is also used for emergency legislation and/or bills that must pass quickly.

Committees for private members’ bills (PMBs)

Private members’ bills that pass their second reading are also referred to a public bill committee for scrutiny.

The procedure is broadly similar, but there is no government programme motion to set the timetable, making it harder to ensure the bill completes its stages in the limited time available. There is no effective limit on how long the public bill committee considering a PMB can sit.

The committee of selection will officially nominate the MPs for the public bill committee. But the member in charge of the bill is responsible for offering a list of names who are willing and collectively reflect the party balance in the House as well as a balance of views on the bill.

The commons standing orders (rule book) permits the selection committee to nominate only one public bill committee to consider a PMB at any one time. (The government can table a motion to support the nomination of a second public bill committee.)

Unlike for government bills, there is no provision for taking oral evidence during a public bill committee for a PMB.

For the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which received its second reading in November 2024, MPs granted the committee the power to take oral and written evidence before it began its clause-by-clause scrutiny.

Public bill committee and select committees: what’s the difference?

A public bill committee is composed of a small number of MPs with a specific interest in the bill. They are always formed on a temporary basis for scrutinising a piece of proposed legislation.

House of Commons select committees, meanwhile, are cross-party groups of backbench MPs responsible for producing reports and acting collectively. Most commons select committees scrutinise the work of government departments and examine specific areas of public policy.

Select committees conduct inquiries into topics of their choosing, gathering written and oral evidence from ministers, civil servants, experts and the public. At the end of an inquiry, they produce a detailed report with findings and recommendations for action. Crucially, the government is required to publish a formal response to these reports.

Additional resources

• UK Parliament – Watch Committees: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/watch-committees-and-debates/committees/
• UK Parliament – How to submit written evidence to Public Bill Committees: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/scrutinyunit/written-submissions/