Dimension: 3.1.1 Transparency of parliamentary work
This dimension concerns the general principles, policies and practices relating to the transparency of parliamentary work.
In order for citizens to be able to be fully informed about its decisions and activities, parliament needs to have clearly defined policies and practices on transparency in relation to all aspects of its work. This includes plenary and committee work, international parliamentary cooperation, and information about MPs’ work, remuneration and allowances. The information provided should be comprehensive, timely, and available in formats that are accessible and usable for all groups in society.
Transparency also involves explaining parliamentary processes, so that citizens can learn about, and better understand, how parliament works and, consequently, how to use and put into context the information available to them.
In order to achieve desirable levels of transparency, parliament requires a sufficient number of capable staff, digital systems for storing and providing access to information, as well as other resources.
See also Indicator 2.2: Institutional integrity and Indicator 6.2:
Public
Public
All the members of a community in general, regardless of their citizenship status.
participation in parliamentary processes.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Principles, policies and practices
Parliament’s rules of procedure establish principles and policies on transparency in all aspects of parliamentary work . The rules of procedure also set out how these principles and policies are translated into practice.
No 2: Information about parliamentary work
Comprehensive information about all aspects of parliamentary work is made available in a timely manner, and in formats that can be easily accessed and understood by all groups in society.
No 3: Explanatory and educational materials
Parliament regularly publishes explanatory and educational materials on the role of parliament, committees and MPs, and on parliamentary processes, procedures and activities.
No 4: Resources
Parliament has a sufficient number of staff, digital systems and other resources to fulfil its transparency responsibilities.
No 5: Continual improvement
Parliament regularly evaluates its level of transparency, solicits feedback from the public and looks for ways to further improve transparency.
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:
- Provisions of parliament’s rules of procedure relating to the transparency of parliamentary work
- Information made available or accessible from parliamentary website concerning parliamentary work
- Statistics on the number of visits to the parliamentary website
- Any commentary on the accessibility or usability of information about parliamentary work madeavailable on the website
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Download this indicatorGet 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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