Tool 7: Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender namely, “effective arrangements for legislative supervision of all such forces [i.e. military and paramilitary forces, internal security and intelligence services, and the police], services and activities” and “legislative approval of defence expenditures”.4 Parliament can monitor, investigate and report on the security sector’s policies, personnel, finances, operations and procurement of equipment and weapons systems. In some contexts, parliaments have the mandate to scrutinize, veto or approve senior appointments within security sector institutions.5 There are a variety of key actors within the parliamentary system that contribute to security sector oversight. Ê Parliamentarians, or MPs, are representatives elected by voters to a country’s parliament. They should ensure that citizens’ concerns are taken into account in security-related policies proposed by the executive. They can initiate and review draft laws, question members of the executive in parliamentary sessions and demand official inquiries and investigations. Serving as a channel to the public, parliamentarians can hold public hearings and provide civil society groups with pertinent information. In some cases, individual legislators use town-hall meetings to discuss government policy with their constituents. This last function, serving as a bridge to the public – be it at the level of political parties or individual legislators – greatly strengthens the legitimacy of parliamentary decision-making on security issues. Ê Political parties are the main constituent parts of parliaments. The organizational fabric of most parliaments is built around them. In most political systems, political parties are the main conduits between decision-makers and civil society. Political parties have their own specific positions on the security sector, and use the legislature as a forum to get their views out to the public. Ê Parliamentary committees are the key legislative bodies that exercise a parliament’s oversight function. Committees are crucial because they are able to scrutinize the government’s record in detail. The committee structure gives parliamentarians the opportunity to organize their work and bring their expertise to bear. Furthermore, they allow direct communication between parliamentarians belonging to different political parties.6 Committees can exercise oversight over the security sector within the framework of a dedicated mandate, such as a committee on intelligence oversight, or within a broad mandate, such as committees on budget and finance or human rights. Given the complexity of the security sector, a well-developed committee structure is needed if a parliament is to exert real influence on the government. Specifically, parliamentary committees can play a crucial role in monitoring, investigating and reporting abuses within and by the security sector. For example, the primary function of the Austrian Parliamentary Committee on the Armed Forces is to collect complaints and present them to parliament in its annual report. To achieve compliance, the committee makes announced inspections throughout the country.7 An effective oversight committee has the following features. ƒ Its functioning and powers are based on rules of procedure. ƒ It has control over its own schedules (agenda, issues, dates, frequencies of committee meetings), and has appropriate latitude in the initiation and amendment of legislation. ƒ It has access to all information it deems necessary for carrying out its mandate, including classified information that is of crucial importance in overseeing the security sector. ƒ It can make use of minority reports. 7