Court of Referees
The Court of Referees is a twelve-member committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established in 1865.[1][2] It is tasked with considering the rights of a petitioner (until 2017 known as their locus standi) to argue against a private bill, in cases where the promoters of the bill have challenged that right.[1][2]
It is chaired by the Chairman of Ways and Means (the principal Deputy Speaker).[1][2] The other members are the other two Deputy Speakers, the Speaker's Counsel (the Speaker's legal adviser) and eight backbench MPs.[1][2]
Three of the court's members, or referees, form a quorum.[2] The court meets rarely;[1] Erskine May reporting that "The court met once in 2016; prior to that meeting, it had last met in 2002".[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Court of Referees - MPs' Guide to Procedure - UK Parliament". Guide to Procedure. United Kingdom Parliament. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Court of Referees". Erskine May. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
Further reading
[edit]- Fawcett, John Henry, Sir. A Treatise on the Court of Referees in Parliament.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Clifford, Frederick; Noble, Daniel (2010). Practice of the Court of Referees On Private Bills in Parliament: With Reports of Cases As to the Locus Standi of Petitioners During the Sessions 1867-8-9, Volume 1. ISBN 978-1145352896.