Following the Second Reading, the detail of a Bill is
considered in Committee. The membership of Standing
Committees changes with each new Bill. They usually
have about 15-25 members, and these are often chosen
because they have specialist experience of, or interest in
the Bill's contents. Membership is always divided roughly
in proportion to the number of seats each party has in the
Commons.
The Committee stage is useful because it allows a small number of people to debate the individual clauses and wording of the Bill without taking up time on the floor of the House. The Committee can sit for several months - and it is during this time that amendments to the Bill are first proposed. Occasionally Bills will have their Committee Stage on the floor of the House - this is known as a Committee of the whole House.