Select committees hold government ministers and departments accountable for their policies and decisions. Their core tasks are to scrutinize legislation, examine public expenditure, and hold the government accountable. Select committees conduct inquiries where they gather evidence, write reports, and the government responds. Members of Parliament and Lords sit on select committees along with clerks and other staff. The committees encourage public participation by submitting written evidence, giving oral testimony, and engaging with the committee in other ways. Select committees have existed since 1668 and help Parliament oversee the work of the government.