This dimension concerns the provisions and processes by which parliament exercises in-year and ex-post oversight of the budget.

This dimension concerns all aspects of the process by which parliament considers and approves budget legislation, and the annual budget in particular. The draft budget represents the executive’s statement of priorities and commitments, and can include both revenue and expenditure proposals, although this is not the case in all parliaments.

This dimension concern’s parliament’s powers to inquire into an issue independently by setting up a parliamentary committee of inquiry (PCI) – a specific fact-finding process that typically aims to investigate possible maladministration, misconduct or policy failure by the executive.

This dimension concerns the provisions and practices relating to the holding of committee hearings. Hearings are a very important way for parliamentary committees to gather information on a topic, to obtain data and opinions, to seek evidence from a wide range of individuals and, therefore, to inform the legislative process and exercise oversight of the executive’s policies and actions.

Hearings are one of the most common forms of public engagement in the work of parliament. They provide an opportunity for individuals and groups of citizens to contribute written and oral evidence.

This dimension concerns the authority of MPs to submit oral and written questions to the prime minister, ministers and other representatives of the executive, and to receive answers to those questions.

This dimension concerns the authority of parliament to summon representatives of the executive, including the prime minister, ministers and other representatives of the executive, to appear in the plenary. This process is often known as “interpellation” and can involve deliberation on their possible dismissal from the government.

This dimension concerns parliament’s authority to summon representatives of the executive to appear before parliamentary committees. This power is important for parliament’s role in scrutinizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the executive, as well as in verifying the compliance of its actions with relevant policies and laws.

This dimension concerns the legal authority of parliament, parliamentary committees and individuals MPs to obtain information from the executive as part of parliament’s oversight duties.

The legal framework and/or parliament’s rules of procedure should establish clear and effective procedures and specific timelines for obtaining information from the executive, including through mechanisms such as:

This dimension concerns three key parliamentary powers relating to the election and dismissal of the executive, namely:

This dimension concerns the provisions by which parliament has the authority to carry out post-legislative scrutiny (PLS), which is an important tool for ensuring that laws are implemented effectively and their impact assessed. It also helps to review the interpretation and application of a given piece of legislation by courts, and to understand how legal practitioners and citizens apply its provisions. PLS therefore contributes to the identification of legislative gaps and shortcomings in the application of legislation, and to the promotion of targeted and evidence-led law-making.