TEN MPs have been appointed to a committee that will scrutinise the government's work on rural issues.

The MPs were appointed to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee on Wednesday (8 July).

They will meet for the first time this week to begin considering the committee's inquiry programme for the coming months.

The Efra committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its associated public bodies.

The committee is one of the 19 select committees related to government departments.

The committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry - which may range from rural broadband to rural services and agriculture.

Depending on the subject, external deadlines, and the amount of evidence, an inquiry may last for several months and give rise to a report to the House of Commons.

Other inquiries may simply consist of a single day's oral evidence which the Committee may publish without making a report

The Efra committee MPs are:

* Sarah Champion (Lab, Rotherham)
* Chris Davies (Con, Brecon & Radnorshire)
* Jim Fitzpatrick (Lab, Poplar & Limehouse)
* Harry Harpham (Lab, Sheffield, Brightside & Hillsborough)
* Simon Hart (Con, Carmarthen West South Pembrokeshire
* Paul Monaghan (SNP, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
* Rebecca Pow (Con, Taunton Deane)
* Margaret Ritchie (SDLP, South Down)
* David Simpson (DUP, Upper Bann)
* Rishi Sunak (Con, Richmond)

The committee will be chaired by Tiverton & Honiton MP Neil Parish (Con), who was elected on 17 June 2015.

Other members of the select committee were nominated by a motion before the House on 6 July 2015. Their names were put forward by each political party.