The sitting was opened at 2.30 pm

The sitting was opened at 2.30 pm

In most Parliaments, after general elections, the newly elected Members of Parliament are normally taken through processes of orientation, induction and training. This is done in order to acquaint them with the basics and essentials of their parliamentary duty. The orientation takes different forms in different parliaments from a one day session to a week long orientation programme and the collection of parliamentary documents from various offices.

Depending on whether there has been an increase to the size of the House, the exercise of providing accommodation should be done as scrupulous as possible regardless of their party, so that no member is found stranded. Allocation of seats in the House is normally done well before the official opening of Parliament to avoid commotion that can characterise the Chamber if no prior and adequate arrangements were made.

1. 
   Tour of the Parliament premises
   

2. 
   Induction meeting for all Members at which the Parliament’s organisation, working procedures and service functions are explained to the Members by the Secretariat. An introduction to the work of the Chamber, the Committees and the various bodies for parliamentary control, and the service functions of Parliament are also given to the Members at this stage; and
   
3. 
   Introduction to the Parliament’s computer network and the allocation of a computer account.
   

Following the induction exercise, are professional development programmes. These are meant to address the perceived knowledge and skills gap in the Members of Parliament.

Given the diverse backgrounds of parliamentarians, it is important for training and development programmes to focus on the skills and competencies required to function effectively immediately upon election as well as on-going development for the specialist skills required for such roles as Committee chairs. In this regard, the training focuses on the critical roles of the Parliamentarians i.e. legislation and policy, scrutiny and oversight Committee Proceedings of Parliament as well as budget analysis tools for the approval of the national budgets.

In 2001 reforms in the National Assembly of Zambia were instituted in order to enhance Parliament’s performance. With the advent of democracy and plural politics in the country, issues of good governance and accountability have been highly accentuated and continue to be among the great expectations of the people. To meet these expectations, therefore, parliament ought to be efficient and effective in its legislative services delivery. In order to do this, Parliament needed to put in place mechanisms that enhanced this goal and become a real Parliament i.e.

E - Efficient and Effective

A - Accessible and Accountable

L - Linked and Legitimate

1. 
   to inform Members of Parliament about the Role and Functions of Parliament as one of the three arms of the State;
   
2. 
   to equip Members with basic knowledge of parliamentary practices and procedures to facilitate their effective participation in the legislative process;
   
3. 
   to bring members up-to-date with latest/new developments (e.g. Parliamentary reforms); and
   
4. 
   to expose new Members to the services that contribute to Parliament’s effective discharge of its constitutional mandate.
   

Induction to Members usually takes place within a fortnight of the elections to ensure that Members receive the necessary guidance on time and to enable them to immediately commence their duties with minimum difficulty.

1. 
   The functions and powers of Parliament contained in the Constitution and Standing Orders;
   
2. 
   The Structure and Organisation of Parliament;
   
3. 
   Practice and Procedure of Parliament;
   
4. 
   Business of the House;
   
5. 
   The Legislative Process; and
   
6. 
   The Committee System.
   

The Role and functions of Parliament covers issues such as the mandate of Parliament as stated in the Constitution and Standing Orders and the relationship between Parliament and the other two arms of the State. The role of Parliament is explained in the context of the doctrine of separation of powers among the three arms of the State. Emphasis is placed on the fact that Parliament does not and should not seek to govern, but to call the Executive to account for the manner in which it executes public policy and programmes. Governing is the preserve of the Executive.

The Members are exposed to the various services offered by the departments of Parliament and how Members can access them.

The increasing complexity of the environment within which parliamentarians work, particularly over the last two decades, has been paralleled by changes both in parliamentarians’ own expectations and those of the public. These expectations point to one important feature, the need for induction and training. These two are cardinal in ensuring that new members settle into the institution as quickly as possible and that they carry out their various roles in the most efficient and effective manner.”

“1. Members of Parliament occupy an exalted position in society. It is a position invested with prestige and privilege. People pin their faith on a Member of legislature to redress their grievances. Therefore, the responsibilities of Members for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people are enormous. As a representative of the people, a member needs to articulate their problems on the floor of the House and sensitise the Government to find solutions to them. To effectively raise issues of public importance in the House, he should be equipped with knowledge about the role of Parliament, its rules of procedure and conduct of business as well as the provisions of the Constitution. Acquisition of skills to discharge responsibilities of a parliamentarian is a continuous process which requires the support, orientation and training for the Members, particularly the newly-elected ones to familiarize them with the subtleties and nuances of parliamentary democracy. The orientation and training to members is imparted so that they can perform their responsibilities efficiently and orient their attitudes and efforts towards the all round development of parliamentary institutions. People’s expanding awareness about their rights and the responsibilities of their representatives towards them make them expect more from the Members.

3. The Training Cell of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat organises an Orientation Programme every two years for the newly elected and nominated members of Rajya Sabha to familiarize them with the functioning of Parliament and its manifold activities. Organised since 1984, the objective of the Programme has been to familiarize the new members with the parliamentary practice, procedures, precedents and conventions that govern the functioning of the House and its committees. Veteran parliamentarians who have long and varied experience in public life are invited to deliver talks on the subjects of parliamentary and procedural interest, which are organised in several sessions. The Programme is essentially very interactive and receives a good response from the Members who evince keen interest to participate in it. The reading material prepared by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on the different aspects of the functioning of the House and its Committees is circulated to them in the Programme.

4. There is Parliament Library located in new Parliament Library Building, which functions under the control of the Lok Sabha Secretariat. It caters to the needs of Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Members Reference Desk of the Parliament Library supplies to the Members, on their demand, the reference material and information on various issues and subjects for enabling them to participate in the proceedings of the House. Parliament Library, with more than one million volumes of books, reports, Government publications, debates and other documents is the storehouse of information on almost all subjects. Besides, it also gets large number of newspapers both from within the country and outside. Located in the Parliament House Complex, Library Building is a centrally air-conditioned building conducive for pursuing study and research. It is fully computerized and has optic fibre-based Local Area Network (LAN) with high speed Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity to provide linkage with other State Legislatures, Foreign Parliaments and other international organisations. As mentioned in preceding paras, the Library is backed by efficient Research and Reference Services which provide research and reference materials on legislative and other matters which come up for discussion before both Houses of Parliament. It enables the Members to discharge their responsibilities while taking part in the debates and discussions in Parliament.

7. The Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training (BPST) was set up in 1976 in the Lok Sabha Secretariat to provide institutionalized opportunities for systematic study and training in various disciplines of parliamentary institutions, processes and procedures. The BPST provides orientation and training programmes to those responsible for running of the democratic system - legislators, policy-makers, administrators and various other functionaries at different levels. The Bureau’s activities include organization of the orientation programmes for new members of Lok Sabha and State Legislatures and seminars for members of Parliament and State Legislatures on various subjects of parliamentary interest. It also organizes lectures on topical issues for Members of Parliament with a view to promoting in-depth understanding and better appreciation of such issues.

8. Today, the proliferation of information and communication technologies have made it possible to have instant linkages between the electorate and their representatives. In fact, Parliaments all over the world have made concerted efforts in harnessing such technologies as a part of their modernization efforts for the benefit of members, media and the public.

10. 
    The Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament in its Report 2010 has mentioned about the following professional support received by the Members presently, which is subject to revision with the passing of the ‘Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill 2010 by Parliament:
    

(i) Air Journeys - 34 domestic air journeys per annum.

(ii) Office Expense Allowance of Rs.20,000/- per month to meet expenses of stationery items, franking of letters and engaging persons for obtaining secretarial assistance.

(iii) Constituency Allowance – Rs.20,000/- per month

(iv) Telephone Facility – 1,50,000 free local calls in a year on three telephones and two mobile phones. A member is also entitled to broadband facility on any one telephone subject to a ceiling of Rs.1,500/- per month.

(v) Rail Travel Facility – Free Rail Pass in AC first class for self and spouse when travelling together and second class for companion.

(vi) Travel Allowance (Road mileage) – Rs.13/- per kilometre.

(vii) Conveyance Advance – Rupees one lakh.

(viii) Residential Accommodation – Free accommodation in Delhi including 4000 K.L. of water per annum and 50,000 units of electricity per annum.”