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

1. "Court of Referees - MPs' Guide to Procedure - UK Parliament". Guide to Procedure. United Kingdom Parliament. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
2. "The Court of Referees". Erskine May . Retrieved 18 October 2021.

Further reading

• Fawcett, John Henry, Sir. A Treatise on the Court of Referees in Parliament.
• 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. BiblioBazaar. ISBN   978-1145352896.