Tool 7: Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender which is tasked exclusively with overseeing the budgets of intelligence agencies. Members of the Group of Trust have broad access to classified information and co-operate with the intelligence oversight committee to ensure more effective oversight.8 Box 5: Types of parliamentary budgetary powers In terms of their respective budgetary powers, three broad categories of legislatures can be identified:  Budget-making legislatures, such as the US Congress, are able to amend, reject and even formulate alternative budget proposals. The legislature is highly involved in security budgeting, policy and oversight, and is accordingly staffed with the necessary expertise.  Budget-influencing legislatures, like most European parliaments, can amend and reject bills but may not present their own proposals. This does not prevent them from examining proposed budgets in detail and producing numerous amendments, as can be observed in Germany and the Netherlands, for example.  Legislatures based on the British Westminster system (including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zambia) are authorized only to reduce existing budgetary items but not to increase or add any items. Considering the implications of each model for gender-responsive oversight, budgetmaking legislatures tend to be most effective: not only can they modify existing budget proposals, but they have the option of presenting an alternative proposal. Source: M. Bentinck and H. Born (2013) Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector, Brussels: European Parliament Office for Promotion of Parliamentary Democracy, p. 28. 3.4 To ensure that parliamentary oversight is diverse and inclusive Modern parliaments are expected to be representative, transparent, accessible, accountable and effective institutions, and places where the views of a wide range of stakeholders are not only welcomed but considered essential. Part of this expectation is that there should be gender balance: ideally, equal participation of men and women in the parliament. This is a matter not only of well-informed decision-making but of democratic representation and legitimacy, and is called for under international human rights frameworks (including those listed in Box 3). Parliaments need, however, to aspire to achieve not just an equal balance of women and men, but a diversity of men and women, from different types of backgrounds and with different characteristics. Where parliamentarians come from a wide range of backgrounds (e.g. socio-economic, class, religious and ethnic) and have a diversity of characteristics (e.g. age, gender and sexual orientation), they better reflect and represent the diversity of the society they serve. There should also be diversity in distribution of parliamentary roles and decision-making responsibilities within the parliament, particularly in key positions. As well as being diverse, parliament should be inclusive, accountable and transparent. This means reaching out across all of society to listen, consult and respond, and sharing information with the public. An inclusive parliament is better informed about the distinct security needs of all people within societies, and when parliaments are inclusive the legitimacy of their oversight is strengthened.9 Women remain seriously underrepresented in national parliaments. Data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union attest that, as of April 2019, the following situation pertained.10 15