1 / 12

Enhancing Parliamentary Efficiency: Benchmarking for Strengthening Legislation

Learn about international developments in strengthening parliaments through benchmarking, aiming to identify priorities, enhance processes, and set realistic goals for output and service quality. Understand the importance of professional staff, physical infrastructure, resources, research facilities, and accessibility in promoting efficient parliamentary functions. Discover approaches for informing the public, ensuring transparency, and promoting accountability. Utilize data collection frameworks to assess parliament effectiveness and engage in discussions based on valuable sources of information from esteemed organizations. Join the ANZACATT Professional Development Seminar for an insightful session on optimizing legislative operations.

aurek
Download Presentation

Enhancing Parliamentary Efficiency: Benchmarking for Strengthening Legislation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ANZACATT Professional Development Seminar 2010Strengthening, Security and Promoting ParliamentWorkshop 2ABenchmarking – International developments in strengthening parliamentsParliamentary Support and InfrastructurePresentation by Lynne EdmonsonSenior Parliamentary Officer (Research and Education)Office of the Clerk of the House of RepresentativesNew Zealand

  2. Aims of approach Benchmarking requires a measurement mechanism in order to identify a performance “gap” Approach aims to identify: • Priorities and means for strengthening Parliament • More efficient and effective processes • Goals for programme output, service quality and process improvement

  3. Benchmarks • Quantitative or Qualitative data (statistics/percentages, surveys, hits/feedback forms, interviews, reports) • Relevant (enhances environment) • Realistic (priorities) • Purposeful (objectives) • Add value (best practice)

  4. Parliamentary Staff CPA 5.1.1 The legislature shall have an adequate non-partisan professional staff to support its operations including the operations of its committees. Examples: - percentages analysed to identify number of Clerks-at-the-Table required to support operations - supporting the operations of select committees - member support (induction and ongoing educational sessions for MPs) - professional development/training for staff

  5. General - Infrastructure CPA 1.7.1 The legislature shall have adequate physical infrastructure to enable members and staff to fulfil their responsibilities. Examples: - goes beyond Chamber, committee rooms and Offices - includes records management, eCommittee

  6. Representational function – Constituent relations CPA 8.1.1 The legislature shall provide all legislators with adequate and appropriate resources to enable the legislators to fulfil their constituency responsibilities. Example: - relationship management (ongoing support and infrastructure)

  7. Parliamentary Staff - General CPA 5.1.4 Members and staff of the legislature shall have access to sufficient research, library, and ICT facilities. Examples: - supporting staff (expertise) and back-up systems available - partnerships

  8. CPA 9.2.1 Where the constitution or parliamentary rules provide for the use of multiple working languages, the legislature shall make every reasonable effort to provide for simultaneous interpretation of debates and translation of records. Examples: - European Parliament and Canada - vital for transparency of the legislature and to encourage citizen participation Accessibility - Languages

  9. Transparency and accessibility of parliament IPU 4.3 How effective is parliament in informing the public about its work, through a variety of channels? Accountability Examples: - broadcasting - reporting - website - publications - select committees process - petitions - Citizens Initiated Referenda - tours/education services for public/tertiary/special interest groups - constituency clinics

  10. IPU data collection framework 5 = very high/very good 4 = high/good 3 = medium 2 = low/poor 1 = very low/very poor or Devising a method of scoring by setting top scores higher in areas considered more important than others

  11. Sources of information Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP), (2009). Evaluating parliament: Objectives, methods, results and impact. Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday 22 October 2009. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), (2006). Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures, A Study Group Report. Duncan, Tom. Benchmarking and Measuring the Management of Parliament. Paper presented at 35th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference, Melbourne, Victoria, July 2004. Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU), (2008). Evaluating Parliament: A self-assessment toolkit for Parliaments. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), (2008). Assessing the Quality of Democracy: A Practical Guide. Laurie, Neil, (Chair). Benchmarking, KPI’s, Annual Reporting for parliamentary departments and the use of member surveys. Paper presented at ANZACATT Professional Development Seminar, Sydney, 29 January 2004. Monk, David, (2009). In the Eye of the Beholder? A Framework for Testing the Effectiveness of Parliamentary Committees. Parliamentary Studies Paper 10, Crawford School of Economics and Government, The Australian National University, Canberra.

  12. Questions?

More Related