ABSTRACT
In the United States, the separation of powers between the legislature, the administration and the judiciary has favoured the development of an extensive committee system with considerable powers. However, the Westminster system, with the executive government drawn from the Parliament, has tended to check the proliferation of committees and to inhibit their powers. It is the growing desire for information and accountability from the community and a natural evolution in the parliamentary process over time which has countered the inhibiting tendencies inherent in the Westminster system.
