Each select committee is supported by a small team of permanent staff.
Although the committee’s staff work most closely with the chair, they are employed to work for the committee as a whole and you can call on them to help with work related to your role on the committee.
At the start of a Parliament a copy of the Standards of Service covering the sort of work committee teams undertake or committees will be circulated to Members.
The typical team has a clerk of the committee, who leads the team and advises on committee strategy and procedure. They usually manage a second clerk and one or more committee specialists who will manage individual inquiries, and one or more operational staff who will arrange meetings, send out papers and organise committee visits and witnesses.