1(1)For the purposes of their functions under Part III of this Act every local authority shall establish a committee, and all matters relating to the discharge of any of the said functions shall stand referred to that committee.
(2)Before exercising any such functions a local authority shall, unless the matter is urgent, consider a report of the committee with respect thereto.
2A local authority may authorise a committee established in pursuance of this Schedule (hereinafter referred to as " the committee ") to exercise on their behalf any of their functions under Part III of this Act except the power to borrow money or to levy or to issue a precept for a rate.
3(1)The committee shall be so constituted as to include persons having special experience of the matters to which the functions discharged by the committee relate, and to consist of women as well as men.
(2)At least a majority of the committee shall be members of the local authority
4The minutes of proceedings of the committee shall be open to the inspection of any local government elector for the area on payment of a fee not exceeding one shilling, and any such local government elector may make a copy thereof or extracts therefrom.
5(1)The committee may, subject to any restrictions imposed by the local authority, establish such sub-committees as the committee may determine, and any sub-committee established under this paragraph shall be constituted in such manner as the committee establishing it may, subject to any restrictions imposed by the local authority, determine:
Provided that—
(i)in the case of a sub-committee established only for one or more of the following purposes, that is to say, the managing, visiting or inspecting of particular premises used for the purposes of the provision of accommodation under Part III of this Act, at least one of the members shall be a member of the local authority or of the committee;
(ii)in the case of any other sub-committee at least a majority of the members shall be members of the local authority or of the council of a county district forming part of the area of the local authority.
(2)The committee may, subject to any restrictions imposed by the local authority, authorise any sub-committee to exercise on their behalf any functions of the committee.
6Every person appointed to be a -member of the committee or a sub-committee thereof who at the time of his appointment was a member of the local authority appointing the committee, and every person appointed to be a member of such a sub-committee who at the time of his appointment was a member of the council of a county district in the area of the said local authority, shall, upon ceasing to be a member of the local authority or council, also cease to be a member of the committee or sub-committee, unless he has been re-elected to be a member of the authority or council not later than the date of his retirement.
7(1)If it appears to the Minister, on the representation of a local authority, that in the interests of the efficient discharge of all or any of the authority's functions under Part III of this Act it is expedient so to do, the Minister may direct that all matters relating to the discharge thereof shall, instead of being referred to a committee established in pursuance of this Schedule, stand referred. to some other committee established by the local authority.
(2)Where such a direction has effect paragraphs 2 and 5 of this Schedule, and paragraph 6 thereof so far as it relates to sub-committees, shall apply with respect to the functions in question with the substitution for references to the committee established in pursuance of this Schedule of references to the said other committee.
8The foregoing provisions of this Schedule shall not prevent a local authority from referring to any committee appointed by them any matter arising out of, and incidental to, their functions under Part III of this Act which, by reason that it relates also to a general service of the authority, ought in the opinion of the authority to be so referred, and the foregoing provisions of this Schedule shall not apply to any matter which is so referred.