Difference between Standing Committee and Ad hoc Committee in Parliament

The committees of the parliament are considered to be a necessary adjunct of the complex and voluminous work of the parliament as they make the parliamentary work smooth, time saving and expeditious. They exercise effective control of the government activities at a regular basis. The parliamentary committees are mainly of two types viz. Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees. The Standing Committees are constituted every year or frequently and they work on continuous basis. Ad hoc committees are temporary and created for specific task. Once that task is completed, the ad hoc committees cease to exist. The usual ad hoc Committees are Select/Joint Committees on Bills and the Railway Convention Committee. Further, Lok Sabha classifies Committees on Ethics, MPLADS & Computers as Ad Hoc Committees. Ad hoc committees include the inquiry committees, joint and select committees on bills etc.

As per the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha”, there are 19 Standing parliamentary Committees and 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees. Out of the 19 Standing Parliamentary Committees, three are Financial Committees viz. Committee or Public Accounts, Committee on estimates and Committee on Public Undertakings.  Some committees have members only from Lok Sabha while some have members from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.