The Committee system of the Parliament of Nauru consists of three types of Committees: Standing Committees, Select Committees and the Committee of the Whole House. ‘Matters which involve detailed examination, examination of witnesses, and the sifting of evidence and material, are better handled by Committees consisting of a small number of Members rather than the full House where …discussion may take up too much time. The discussion in Committees takes place in a more informal atmosphere’ (Mehra, Practice and Procedure of the Parliament of Nauru, p164).

• Standing Committees

• Select Committees of the 18th Parliament

• Committee of the Whole House

 

Standing Committees

Two of Parliament’s Standing Committees – the Constitutional Review Committee and the Public Accounts Committee – are established by Acts of Parliament. The other seven Standing Committees are established under the Standing Orders. Many of the Standing Committees are not currently active. Members of Standing Committees are appointed at the start of each Parliament, and, once appointed, each Committee continues in office until the dissolution of Parliament. The Standing Committees are a permanent fixture of Parliament, and continue until the relevant Act or Standing Order is repealed or amended.

• Constitutional Review Committee
• House Committee
• Library Committee
• Printing Committee
• Private Business Committee
• Privileges Committee
• Public Accounts Committee
• Standing Orders Committee
• Subsidiary Legislation Committee

 

Select Committees

Select Committees are appointed by the House from time to time to inquire into specific matters or incidents (such as the Select Committee on Inspector Corey Caleb) or to consider and deal with particular Bills (such as the Select Committee on Constitutional Amendment Bills). Unlike Standing Committees, Select Committees are transient, and when a Select Committee has completed the tasks assigned to it and presented its final report to the House, it ceases to be a Committee unless the House resolves otherwise.

• Select Committee on Constitutional Amendment Bills
• Select Committee on Inspector Corey Caleb
• Select Committee on Land Issues

 

Committee of the Whole House

The Committee of the Whole House comprises every Member of Parliament, sitting as a Committee to consider the details of a Bill, or to consider a specific task assigned to it by a resolution of the House. Standing Order 162 provides that after adoption of the motion for the second reading of a Bill, the House must resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole for consideration of the Bill unless a decision is taken to refer the Bill to a Select Committee or the House grants leave to proceed directly to the third reading. In practice, leave is usually granted for the third reading to proceed. In the case of the constitutional amendment bills however, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole to consider the Bills in detail and to amend the Bills. The Reports of the Committee of the Whole on the constitutional amendment bills can be downloaded here:

Interim Report of the Committee of the Whole on Constitutional Amendment Bills, 25 June 2009

Report of the Committee of the Whole on Constitutional Amendment Bills, 10 August 2009