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Legislative Capacity (Members of Parliament and Staff) – Low Priority
Participants felt that this category was dependent on changes in both the enabling environment
and internal organization and management, and therefore was not prioritized in and of itself.
Some of the changes that appear here are arguably relevant to other categories but were
understood by participants as directly relating to legislative capacity.
Executive Oversight
Participants referred to the challenges facing parliament in exercising their capacity to oversee
the executive and hold it to account. According to participants, their capacity is constrained by
an absence of a legal framework to compel the executive to change its behavior on the basis of
parliamentary scrutiny, “even if we get the information we cannot do anything with it – we are
not equal to the executive in practice and cannot enforce change,” claimed one member of
parliament in the opposition.
Legal Drafting/Capacity to Debate and Review Legislation
Participants placed high priority on the legal drafting and capacity to debate and review
legislation sub-categories. Specifically, participants proposed that members of parliament
receive support to attend study tours abroad in order to experience and learn from other
parliaments. However, this priority was not expressed in terms of what was expected to change
as a result of such trips and therefore needs to be seen more as a means to an end (the building
of capacity). Other ideas for improving capacity in these areas included reform of entry
requirements for staff (see internal organization and management) and the acquisition of
qualified legal drafters to work in-house.
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Research Capacity and Access to Information
The research capacity and access to information sub-category was also ranked as a medium
priority within the legislative capacity category. Linked to the capacity to draft legislation,
participants expressed a desire to have greater access to information themselves (rather than
relying only on staff researchers) in order to acquire greater drafting and revising capacity. In
particular, participants identified the establishment of a library and acquisition of computers as a
way of facilitating access to wider knowledge that could be used as reference points in both the
drafting of legislation and informing members of parliament on particular issues over which
they are asked to vote.
Parliamentary Accessibility and Responsiveness – Low Priority
While this category was a low priority for participants, it should be noted that much of the
discussion was directed toward the need to increase engagement with constituents and establish
a social contract between citizens and their elected representatives. The prioritization of both
internal organization and management and the enabling environment was done with this very
much in mind.
Regional Presence
The highest change priority identified within this category was to have mechanisms of
accessibility for the members of parliament at the local level. Participants were adamant that, in
order to perform a representative function and be accountable to the electorate, it was essential
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This was thought to depend on the availability of financial resources and is linked to enabling environment.
