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Assisting
Italian MPs in the
pre-legislative
scrutiny
Chambers’ counsellors and
legislative advisors in enhancing
knowledge and skills development
Paolo ZUDDAS, Insubria University, Varese
Giovanni PICCIRILLI, LUISS University of Rome
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Theoretical framework
The importance to Parliaments - and to the
individual MPs - of being (self-)informed
The necessity of “good” information (DietrichSchulz, 2008)
The role of the professional development programs
in enhancing MPs’ skills (Coghill et al., 2008)
A suggestion for broadening this approach,
including not only the training events, but also the
assistance in the concrete deploying of the
legislative work:
- case study limitation: typically, the Italian Parliament registers a
very low turnover (less than 1/3 in the last general elections), a
high average age, long previous political careers of its members
=> training events are sparsely attended and considered of
marginal importance
- theoretical reasons: lifelong learning in the parliamentary work?
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The “good” information
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Autonomously collected (independently from the
Government)
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Objective
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Immediate (or promptly available)
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Concise
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Genuinely relevant
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Precise
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Interdisciplinary
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The role of parliamentary
administrations – types of activities
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The (direct) supply of information
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Collection and selection of information
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Verification of information (especially on financial effects of the
bills)
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General role of experts in procedures, legislation in force, legal
drafting
The (indirect) assistance in the use of tools for an
autonomous selection of information
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Libraries, repositories, thematic collection of works
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IT assistance, e-learning
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Effects of the clerks’ support
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Organising and presenting information to support the
legislative work
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Indispensability of the dossier of documentation for starting the
debate before the Committees
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Ex ante analysis (impact assessment, administrative
feasibility)
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Ex post analysis, control of the implementation
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Flaws and margins for improvement
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Traditional formal-legalistic background of the
Parliamentary officers
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Necessity of improvement of economic and social science
“sensitivity”
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Lack of coordination between the administrative apparatuses
of the two Houses, risks of duplications
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MPs’ staff, categories
A complex galaxy of advisors and assistants
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Personnel working for the political groups
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Staff of the indivisual MP
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pivotal function between Houses administration and MPs
(more) direct assistance
Personnel assigned to those MPs appointed to particular
institutional duties (President of Committees, President of
political groups, …)
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Case study: the Committee on legislation, a “bridge” towards
the Academia?
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Differences in the preliminary work
on the draft legislation
Parliamentary
administrations
MPs’ staff
if
general
potential
when
pre-emptive
subsequent
how
complete
tailored
why?
purpose (bill) limitation
propositional
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Conclusions
Undoubted effect of “influence” (more or less
neutral/political) of both the categories on the
selection of information and, in the end, on the
genuineness of the political representation
Therefore, the comprehensive assistance activity should
be intended in a unitary mode (of course, neither
ignoring their reciprocal differences, nor
emphasizing them)
If adequately coordinated (with a special attention on
avoiding duplications), they can both contribute to
aware and pondered legislative decision (so,
politically “strong”)
… but in times of economic crisis…
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Suggestions
and comments
are more than
welcome!
Paolo Zuddas
paolo.zuddas@uninsubria.it
Giovanni Piccirilli
gpiccirilli@luiss.it