About committees
Everything you need to know about committees
Contents
- What is a committee?
- What do committees do?
- How are committees formed?
- What are the roles in a committee?
- How do committees hold the Scottish Government to account?
- What’s the difference between committees and Cross-Party Groups?
- How to get involved
What’s the difference between committees and Cross-Party Groups?
External organisations and people can’t become members of committees, which are made up of MSPs, but they can become members of Cross-Party Groups (CPGs). CPGs meet to discuss a shared interest in a cause or subject. CPGs are made up of:
- organisations
- members of the public
- MSPs from all parties
To form a CPG, an MSP must:
- agree to create one
- find out if there’s enough interest in the group from other MSPs
- hold a first meeting
- have the approval of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to form
CPGs are not part of the Parliament's formal business and shouldn’t be confused with the Parliament’s committee system. They do not have the power to formally ask the Parliament or the Government to consider issues.