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Parliamentary committees: Speaker seeks report on members’ attendance
Speaker Om Birla’s office wants to know how many meetings were held by both department-related standing committees and other panels “and the number of sittings attended by each member”.
To streamline the functioning of parliamentary committees through better participation, the office of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has asked for a detailed report on the attendance of members in these committees in the last financial year, according to a circular released on Monday.
Birla’s office wants to know how many meetings were held by both department-related standing committees and other panels “and the number of sittings attended by each member”. It also wants to know the “total number of sittings held during the current term” of panels other than standing committees and the attendance of MPs in those meetings.
The Speaker’s office wants to closely monitor the attendance of MPs as officials have been told to furnish weekly reports. This has come at a time when there is talk of shuffling the panels and a plan to shift absentee MPs to other panels.
Apart from that, a committee has also been formed to look into the rules that govern the functioning of the panels “and suggest changes that are necessary in light of the developments in recent years”.
Insiders feel there are other more important issues to consider, such as the overlap of subjects of different panels, quorum relaxation, and uniform rules for all panels.
“Several things have happened particularly in the wake of Covid-19. Many panels couldn’t meet regularly and some MPs had demanded online meetings. But if there is any change in the House rules, it has to be done by the Rules panel,” said former secretary general of Lok Sabha, P Sreedharan.
But officials ruled out online meetings. “Online meetings can compromise the non-partisan character of the panels and their secrecy,” said another senior official on condition of anonymity.
Biju Janata Dal MP and chairman of the labour standing committee, Bhartruhari Mahtab said, “There are many issues that might require a relook at the rules. Most important is how long the panel proceedings will be held in-camera. There is a debate that while MPs work very hard in these panels, it is not reflected through the media. After all, the secrecy clause is usually to protect the executive.”
