Which stage of the policy-to-law process involves detailed examination by a committee?

• A. First reading
• B. Committees stage
• C. Royal assent
• D. Third reading

Answer: (B)

Detailed examination by a committee happens during the committee stage. In this stage, a bill is sent to a committee for close, line-by-line scrutiny. The committee can hear testimony from experts and stakeholders, debate each clause, and propose amendments. This in-depth review helps catch problems, refine provisions, and ensure the bill’s effects are understood before it moves on.

After the committee finishes its work, the bill returns to the full chamber for further debate and a vote on the amended text, followed by the remaining readings and final passage, before it proceeds to royal assent (or the equivalent final approval in that system).

The other stages are more about initial introduction or final approval and broad debate rather than the detailed, clause-by-clause examination that a committee conducts.