Apart from inquiries actually conducted before the Court of Inquiry, proceedings may be taken before an officer of the Realm appointed by the President of the Realm. Further, procedure shall be determined by the Court of Inquiry. ARTICLE 32. A resolution of the Reichstag requires a simple majority of votes, except where some other proportion of votes is laid down by the constitution. The Standing Orders of the Reichstag may admit exceptions to this rule in the case of elections carried out by the Reichstag. The Standing Order shall regulate all questions of the validity of resolutions. ARTICLE 33. The Reichstag and its Committees of the Reichstag are entitled to demand the presence of the Chancellor or of any other Minister of the Realm. The Chancellor, the Ministers, and their deputies have access to the sittings of the Reichstag and to the sittings of the Committees of the Reichstag. The Lands are entitled to send plenipotentiaries to these sittings who shall submit the views of their Government on the question under discussion. The representatives of the Lands may demand to be heard during the discussion; the representatives of the Government of the Realm may do so under suspension if necessary of the Orders of the Day. Such representatives are subject to the rulings of the Chair. ARTICLE 34.[21] The Reichstag may set up Committees of Inquiry: it must do so if one-fifth of the members demand it. Such Committees shall in open session inquire into such evidence as they consider necessary, or the petitioners consider necessary. The public may be excluded by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the Committee of Inquiry. The Standing Orders shall regulate the procedure of the Committee and determine the number of its members. The Courts and the Civil Service must submit any evidence demanded by these Committees; the Committees may demand to see their records. The regulations of the Criminal Code apply to the taking of evidence by the Committees or by such authorities as they have instructed; nevertheless, the secrecy of the post office, of the letter, telegraph, and telephone services remains unaffected. ARTICLE 35.[22] The Reichstag shall appoint a Permanent Committee for Foreign Affairs; which Committee may sit during the recess, or after the election period has come to an end, or after the dissolution until the meeting of the new Reichstag. The sittings of such Committee are not public, unless the Committee itself decides on publicity by a two-thirds majority. The Reichstag shall further appoint a Permanent Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the People's Representatives against the Government of the Realm for those periods during which it is out of session, and for the period following the termination of an election period. Such Committees have the same rights as the Committees of Inquiry. ARTICLE 36.