SMALL BRANCHES CONFERENCE: 1 - SCRUTINY OF FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
SMALL BRANCHES CONFERENCE Colombo, Sri Lanka
32nd 1st Session - 9 September 2012
ENSURING ADEQUATE PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY OF FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Chairperson: Hon. Jacquie Petrusma, MP, Tasmania
Discussion Leaders: Sen. the Hon. Prof. Velma Newton, Barbados Hon. David Agius, MP, Malta Sen. Ian Gorst, Chief Minister, Jersey
National policy is influenced by global issues and decisions so Parliament’s role in this area is necessary to ensure openness in the process and to draw clear and concise lines of responsibilities, agreed Members from small Parliaments. It might be a challenge to establish
a majority consensus among parliamentary parties and it could stall policy developments. But it was agreed that legislators must be involved in international agreements when they are being drafted, not just when they are to be ratified. Members agreed that Parliamentarians are now usually poorly informed about the actions of their governments in foreign affairs, so Parliaments should develop new areas of scrutiny and the existing
296 | The Parliamentarian | 2012: Issue Four
scrutiny should be made clearer and more precise. Parliaments now have limited
influence on the executive in this area and on international agencies such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). But small states are expected to sign OECD and UN treaties even though scrutinizing every single international treaty exhausts their resources. The Commonwealth parliamentary Association (CPA) could assist small Parliaments in scrutinizing these agreements by facilitating an exchange of information.
Cross-party committees, with
appropriate legal and other expertise and administrative support, could also
focus on foreign and Commonwealth affairs prior to debate by Parliament. Another suggestion was for jurisdictions to review draft treaties from the perspective of how they will affect the lives of citizens. Small dependent territories
and subnational jurisdictions have difficulty in developing their international identities and their areas of parliamentary scrutiny. However, their involvement in foreign affairs was seen as necessary to develop consistent foreign policies for all parties.
No place provided for Parliament The first discussion leader, Sen. the Hon. Prof. Velma Newton of Barbados, discussed the lack of