Dimension: 5.1.2 Impact assessments
This dimension concerns parliament’s practices relating to impact assessments, which are a process of identifying the future consequences of a current or proposed action. Impact assessments are an important element of evidence-based law-making, providing for a systematic and critical analysis of the positive and negative effects of proposals for laws.
Impact assessments can be broad and determine the consequences or a law or policy from an economic, social, environmental, climate or other perspective, or they can be targeted and focused on the impact on specific groups, such as women, young people, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. can mandate the executive to accompany proposals for laws with assessments of the impact of these laws. Some parliaments also conduct or commission their own impact assessments. The findings of impact assessments should be publicly available and considered by parliament during the legislative process.
Since impact assessments require expertise that is generally not part of legal training, they are typically conducted by administrative staff, parliamentary advisory bodies or external experts. In any event, impact assessments should be an inclusive and transparent process.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Use of impact assessments
Impact assessments of the positive and negative effects of proposals for laws on different groups in society are an established part of the law-making process.
No 2: Expertise
Parliament has the necessary expertise, among parliamentary staff, advisory bodies or external experts, to analyse impact assessments reports or to conduct or commission its own impact assessments.
No 3: Publication
The findings and reports of impact assessments, whether carried out by parliament or by the executive, are made available to MPs and the public.
No 4: Practice
In practice, parliament routinely analyses impact assessments provided by the executive, conducts or commissions its own impact assessments, and uses the related findings and reports to inform its work.
How to complete this assessment
This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.
The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:
- Parliamentary impact assessment guidelines
- Impact assessment findings and reports
- Number of impact assessment exercises conducted by parliament during the year
- Examples of proposals for laws or proposed policies modified as a result of an impact assessment
- Details of a special unit or staff responsible for conducting impact assessments
- Impact assessment reports published on the parliamentary website
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Sources and further reading
- Patricia Popelier, A legal perspective on Regulatory Impact Assessments (2017).
- Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) and The Equality Authority, Guidelines for conducting equality impact assessments on IVEA and VEC plans, policies and programmes (2007).
Get help with this assessment
The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.
Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.
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