Committees are an efficient way of running the business of the House. Well-functioning Committees expand democratic governance. Committee mandates and membership focus attention on specific issues and engender meaningful deliberations. Committees have defined mandates and memberships. They study an issue or set of issues and then report back to the House. This allows individual Senators to focus their attention on a subject matter, study it in detail and deepen their understanding of the issue(s). The Committee setting enhances the ability of Senators to be productively engaged in the nitty-gritties of the workings of a Parliament and so take ownership of its outcome. Senators are able to discuss issues informally, are less constrained by party discipline and are able to develop relationships with colleagues who belong to other parties.