Standing Committees of the House of Representatives

General Composition & Authority

Unless otherwise specified, these Standing Committees are governed by the following:

Authority

Re-established by Statutory Instrument No. 115 of 1998.

Membership

Each Committee has six Members. Two of the Members are Members who do not support the Government.

Alternates

Standing Order 73(4) of the House of Representatives states that “Every Member of a Standing Committee may appoint an alternative Member of the House who may attend the meetings of the Committee in the event of the inability of such Member to attend, and every alternate so appointed shall have the same power and authority (including but not limited to the right of vote) as enjoyed by the Member by whom he was so appointed.”

Finance and Economic Development

Subjects Referred:

  • Matters dealing with taxation and fiscal matters; banking, currency and insurance;
  • customs, excise, imports and exports; exchange control; salaries, pensions and provident funds; public debt and public loans; economic development;
  • and any other matter assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Finance or to the Minister responsible for Budget Planning and Management and Economic Development in their capacity as such Ministers.

Constitution and Foreign Affairs, Privileges, Standing Orders, House and Regulations Committee

Subjects Referred:

  • Matters relating to the Constitution; civil liabilities and administration of justice; legal affairs.

  • Relations of Belize with the Commonwealth countries and foreign countries; international conferences; and foreign representation.

  • Matters which appear to affect the powers or privileges of the House; Standing Orders of the House; Order of Business of the House; recesses and adjournments of the House.

  • Matters relating to the remuneration and allowances and the comfort and convenience of Members of the House; employment of officers and other persons by the House.

  • All such orders, rules, regulations and by-laws which are required by any law to be laid before the House.

Oversight of Regulations:

  • Which involves the expenditure of public moneys or imposes or fixes fees for licences or for services.
  • Which cannot be challenged in the Courts on the ground that it is ultra vires, or is only temporarily so challengeable.
  • The making of which appears to constitute an unusual or unexpected use of the powers conferred by the law under which it was made.
  • Which purports to have retroactive effect although the law under which it was made does not in terms give the Minister such a power.
  • The publication or the laying before the House of which appears to have been unduly delayed.
  • The purport or form of which appears to require elucidation.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

  • Chairman

    The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is chosen from among Members who do not support the Government (except at times when there is no such Member).

  • Duty

    The Public Accounts Committee has the duty of examining, considering and reporting on the accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by the National Assembly to meet the public expenditure of the country; such other accounts as may be referred to the Committee by the House or under any Law; and the report of the Auditor General on any such accounts.

Ombudsman Reports Committee

  • Constituted by

    Statutory Instrument No. 8 of 2000.

  • Subjects Referred

    Reports by the Ombudsman made under the Ombudsman Act and any other matters incidental to or connected with.

Sector-Specific Standing Committees

The following committees were all re-established or constituted by Statutory Instrument No. 115 of 1998 and consist of six Members (two of whom do not support the Government).

Committee Name Subjects Referred
Agriculture and Fisheries
Matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Agriculture and Fisheries and Cooperatives.
Education, Sports and Housing
Matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Education and Sports and to the Minister responsible for Housing.
Health and Human Development (incl. Rural Development & Culture)
Matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Health and to the Minister responsible for Human Development, Women, Youth, Rural Development and Culture.
National Security and Immigration
Matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for National Security and Immigration.
Natural Resources and Environment
Matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Natural Resources and the Environment.
Public Service, Labour, Industry and Trade
Issues relating to Public Service, Labour matters, Trade, Industry and Commerce, Home affairs, Local Government and any other subjects assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Industry and Commerce, Public Service and Labour.
Public Utilities, Transport and Communications
Matters relating to public utilities, transport, communications and any other matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Public Utilities, Transport and Communications.
Tourism, Archaeology and Information
Matters relating to Archaeology, Salvaging of Wrecks, all matters related to Tourism, Information and Broadcasting.
Works Committee
Matters relating to Public works and all other matters assigned under the Constitution to the Minister responsible for Works.