PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

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A representative parliament I 35 relevant where the language of parliamentary business is not spoken by a majority of the population. Here questions of expense in providing translation facilities may be a constraining factor. In the Indian Lok Sabha, for example, the languages for transacting business are Hindi and English. However, since the time of the Fourth Lok Sabah members have also been allowed to address the House in any of the scheduled languages provided for in the Constitution. At present, simultaneous interpretation facilities are available in eight languages besides the two mentioned (Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil and Telegu); while in the Upper House, the Rajya Sabha, facilities are also available in Gujurati, Urdu and Punjabi. Further online reading about the use of m inority and vernacular languages in the work of parliam ents: Matiki, A (2002). Language planning and linguistic exclusion in the legislative process in Malawi. The House: New Zealand’s House of Representatives 1854-2004 (2005). Parliament in Te Reo. Facilitating all members in their work Besides the more obvious forms of inequality between members already considered, there may be less visible differences in resources or capacity which put some members at a systematic disadvantage. The issue of parliamentary resources and facilities will be considered more fully in chapter 6. Here it is sufficient to point out that members should enjoy equal access to them, and that parliament’s research and library staff should serve all members impartially. This is not only a question of facilities, however, but of the capacity to use them. For example, most parliaments now have on-line facilities so that members can have up-to-the-minute information on the progress of bills and other aspects of parliamentary business. All surveys of the use of electronic means of communication, however, show that inequalities between users are not just a matter of equipment, but of the ability to use it across its full range. The fact that parliamentarians now increasingly come from professional backgrounds means that such abilities may simply be taken for granted. Yet everyone requires training, even if only to keep their skills updated.
36 I PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY This consideration applies more generally, for example in the context of newly elected members. Parliamentary procedures often seem arcane, the demands on time are enormously diverse, and members are left very much to their own devices. It may take a long time for new members to find ways of being effective across the full range of their responsibilities. Most parliaments provide induction programmes and mentoring schemes for newcomers, though these are quite variable in their quality and usefulness. Some are provided by party groups, some by the administrative staff of parliament. In a review of induction programmes conducted by the IPU, the following were suggested as essential elements in such a programme: ■ the rights and duties of members; ■ parliamentary procedure, debating and voting rules in committees and the Chamber; ■ details of parliamentary services provided and how to access them; ■ office organisation and the use of electronic and other equipment; ■ broadcasting and media relations; ■ organisation of constituency offices and relations with constituents. As a specific example, the New Zealand Parliament produces a series of guidebooks available on line to all its members, dealing with different aspects of their work. For example, its guidebook Effective Select Committee Membership covers every aspect of a committee’s operation, including standing orders, procedures for different types of business, support services available, guidance for chairpersons, and so on. Its aim is that those who become familiar with it ‘will be empowered by this knowledge and will find it much easier to achieve their goals in select committees.’ In so doing they will also be better able to represent their constituents. Here are some typical extracts: Know what you want to achieve. To be an effective member of a select committee you need to plan in advance what you want to achieve at a particular meeting and how you hope to achieve it. Proceedings can sometimes move quickly and without a plan you might find your opportunity to raise an issue or suggest a change to a report has been lost. This guidebook will help you understand what you can achieve and how to go about implementing your plan within the limits set out in Standing Orders…… Your chance to become an effective legislator. You do not need a law degree to be a good legislator. All you need are your ideas, a commit-
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strengthening of both legislative a
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3. Technology assessment. This has
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Australia Austria Belarus Belgium B
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Organization’s programmes aimed a
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MS. MARTA LAGOS CRUZ-COKE Executive
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MS. DULCE MARIA SAURI RIANCHO Membe
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types of, 8, 15-17, 69 voter partic
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PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

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