Section 129. The House of Representatives and the Senate have the power to select and appoint members of each House to constitute a standing committee and have the power to select and appoint persons, being or not being its members, to constitute anad hoc committee or a joint committee under section 137 in order to perform any act, inquire into facts or study any matter and report its findings to the House in the period of time as prescribed by the House.
The performance of any act, the inquiry into factsor study of any matter under paragraph one shall be within the duties and powers of the House. The duties and powers specified upon the appointment of the committees and the acts of the committees shall not be in repetition or duplication. In the case where the performance of acts, inquiries into facts or studies of any matter are connected, it shall be the duty of the President of the House to direct all relevant committees to perform such tasks together.
No committee may authorise or entrust a person or a group of persons to inquire into facts on its behalf.
The committee under paragraph one has the power to demand documents from any person or summon any person to give statements of fact or opinions on the act or the matter under its inquiry or study. Such demand or summons is not applicable to a judge performing duties or exercising powers in the trial of a case or to the personnel management of each Court or to a person holding an office in an Independent Organ in the direct performance of duties and powers for each organ under the Constitution or the organic acts, as the case may be.
The Minister who is responsible for the matter of inquiry or study of the committee shall have duty to instruct a State official under his or her supervision or control to provide facts, submit documents or give opinions as summoned by the committee.
The House of Representatives and the Senate shall disclose to the public its minutes of sittings, or committees’ reports on the act, findings or study, as the case may be, except in the case where the House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be, passes a resolution prohibiting disclosure.
The privileges provided in section 124 shall also extend to persons performing duties and complying with the summons under this section.
The number of members of a standing committee appointed solely from Members of the House of Representatives shall be in proportion to or in close proportion to the number of Members of the House of Representatives of each existing political party in the House of Representatives.
In the absence of the rules of procedure of the House of Representatives under section 128, the President of the House of Representatives shall determine the proportion under paragraph eight.
