Parliamentary Support Services in Bangladesh: An Overview

K.M. Mahiuddin

Assistant Professor, Department of Government & Politics, Jahangirnagar University,

Savar, Dhaka, e-mail: mahiuddinbd@yahoo.com

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 Parliamentary Support Services in Bangladesh: An Overview

Abstract: This study deals with parliamentary support services of the

Bangladesh Parliament. The Parliament Secretariat Act, 1994 is the first

attempt to create an independent parliament secretariat. Over the years,

parliamentary staff and support services have expanded to carry out a variety

of housekeeping functions in addition to assist the Speaker, Whips, leaders

of the House and opposition, and parliamentary committee chairmen. This

study analyses how the parliament secretariat is organized and serves the

parliamentarians to discharge their duties in the plenary session and

committees. Parliamentary bodies and its members require some incentives

including professional staffs, IT facilities and other logistic support to

advance their parliamentary business. This study, therefore, focuses on the

strength and nature of staff and other services available for the legislators

compared with other parliaments.

Introduction

Parliamentary scholars found a clear and positive relationship between parliamentary

resources and effectiveness of the parliament. They argued that if legislatures are

facilitated with qualified staff and research assistants, there is a greater likelihood of

more effective parliaments (Rosenthal, Alan 1973). It has been observed that the

growth and complexity of government activities leads to a great expansion in the

volume of parliamentary activities. Therefore over the years parliamentary staff and

support services have been developed and expanded for handling the volume of

legislative works. In the Western democracies, legislators tend to rely on the

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parliament secretariat and personal staffs to prepare background material for

parliamentary deliberation. Despite the personal assistance, staffs are often required to

undertake all secretariat and research works. They are also asked to communicate with

interest groups, work on summaries of legislation and subsequent amendments, and

negotiate with the staff of other Members and with government officials over the

details of bills and amendments. Therefore, it might be assumed that parliamentary

support services may affect the effectiveness of the parliament.

Most of the parliaments have their own staff and support services independent from

the public service. However, comparatively smaller parliaments have drawn their staff

from the public services (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 1986). The main functions of the

legislative support services are to provide with the necessary supports to the Speaker

and Deputy-speaker, Whips, Committees, parliamentary parties and individual

members so that they perform their functions effectively, efficiently, and conveniently

as possible (Michael T. Ryle, 1981). This article attempts to analyze the structure and

functions of the Secretariat of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad and also focus on the

resource facilities available for the parliamentary bodies.

Parliamentary Staff and Support Services in the West

Parliamentary support services are expanding all over the world for making the

legislature more effective and efficient. Michael argued that growth of business of the

House of Commons encouraged the expansion of the size and functions of the

parliamentary staff. Parliamentary staff also has been expanded in the German

Bundestag and French National Assembly. After the Second World War, changing

nature of legislative work and parliamentary debate encouraged them for expanding

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their legislative staff (Michael T. Ryle, 1981). However, the Congress has had large

number of staff from many years. During in the 1960s parliamentary staff grew

remarkably. In this period Senate committee staff was increased nearly 70 percent

(Samuel C. Patterson, 1990).

Size and pattern of parliamentary staff services vary greatly from one legislature to

another. Some legislatures have their own professional staff engaged in a wide range

of general and specialized activities. Among the legislatures of the developed

countries, the American Congress employed a large number of staff. Congressional

committees are replete with professional staff that holds substantial expertise and

authority (Susan R. Benda, 1996). In the United States, every senator and

congressman has a personal staff and parliamentary party leaders are also offered a

number of staffs. Congressional committees can hire its own independent staff, some

being appointed by the majority and some by the minority. Congressional Research

Service provides necessary support on legislative issues and problems with a number

of professional staffs (Philim Laundy, 1989). German Bundestag secretariat is not as

large as the Congress, but they have large number of professional staff for

committees, commission and for individual members. As in 2003, approximately

4000 staffs were employed in the Bundestag, of them 2200 staffs were employed for

individual members. Compared to Congressional committees, Bundestag committees

are equipped with rather less staff. In 2003, every standing committee had at least five

employees, one executive-rank civil service secretary, one senior assistant secretary as

well as three clerical staffs. Some committees, i.e. Petitions Committee, Foreign

Affairs Committee equipped with more staffs (Parliaments und Wahlstatistics Des

Deutschen Bundestages, 2003). British House of Commons has non-political,

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permanent and professional staff system, which is quite different from that in the

American Congress. House of Commons staffs are not civil servants but their pay and

conditions of service are linked to those of equivalent ranks in the civil service

(Michael T. Ryle 1981). Apart from the staff services, most of the parliaments have

their own libraries, study and research services for documentation. Library and

documentation services supply necessary information on legislative and other issues

for the plenary, committee or even for the individual members.

Appointment of parliamentary staff differs from one system to another. In some

parliaments, for example in Germany and Canada parliamentary staffs are

independent from the public service. On the contrary, parliamentary staffs of the Sri

Lankan Parliament and Japanese Diet are deputed from the public services (Philip

Laundy, 1989, pp 363-65). Most specialist and experts of the Japanese Diet are drawn

from among the senior Bureaucrates (Hans H. Baerwald, 1979, p.349). In addition to

the professional staffs, member may obtain fund for hire personal staff. For example,

in the U.S Congress and German Bundestag legislators are granted annual allowances

to hire staff under private law employment contract.

Parliaments possess their staff and support services with an administrative hierarchy

in which Clerk, Secretary-General, Director General or Secretary works as a chief

executive officer under the supervision of the Speaker or President of the parliament.

In a bicameral parliament each house is likely to have its own chief executive or this

officer has joint authority over the staff of both houses, which can be found in the

parliaments of Austria, Jordan, Switzerland and Thailand. The chief executive is the

professional advisor to the presiding officers, committee chairmen, members and

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other members. He/she advises them on law, procedure, practice and privileges of the

parliament with his/her experiences and knowledge. He/she is also responsible to keep

the records of debates and decisions taken, prepare and issue a daily Order Paper for

each sitting and also prepare the budget for the house. Chief Executive is mostly

responsible for staff management and supervision. In fact, his/her responsibility is

both administrative and procedural. Chief officer controls and supervises number of

staffs, distributes among the numbers of divisions and sections. British House of

Commons services is organized into six departments while Secretary General of the

German Bundestag supervises approximately 2200 staffs with three Directorate-

Generals which are also again divided into eleven directorates.

Status of the chief executive is in the both the parliaments mostly same mostly same.

The Clerk of the British House of Commons holds the equivalent status to the head of

a government department and the Bundestag Secretary this position holds the

equivalent status to the Secretary of State of a Ministry whereas in Sweden and

Switzerland his post is lower than Heads of government departments. Canadian

parliamentary secretary enjoys more status; his position is equivalent to the deputy

minister. On the contrary, in the United States, Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of

House of Representatives has no comparable positions in government departments. As

in the American Congress, parliamentary secretary is also to be elected in the

parliaments of Argentina, Finland and Sweden. On the contrary, the Clerk of the

House of Commons is appointed by the Crown and in the parliaments of Austria,

Brazil, India, Denmark and Germany, presiding officers appointed the chief executive

of the parliament secretariat. Sri Lankan parliament follows different procedure; the

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Secretary of Sri Lankan parliament is appointed by the Head of State but responsible

to the speaker.

Most of the parliaments of the developed countries have their won professional staffs,

responsible for gathering information, analyzing and processing data, and drafting

legislation. Therefore they have the opportunity to influence the policy making

process. On the contrary, parliaments of the developing countries work with a limited

number of staff; most of them are deputed from the civil service. In these parliaments,

no staffs are available for individual members and parliamentary committees, which

work with limited staff. The Presiding officer and his/her deputies, committee

chairmen, party leaders are only provided with individual office, staffs and telephone,

mailing and transportation.

Parliamentary Support Services in Bangladesh

After the independence in 1971, Bangladesh adopted the unicameral system of

parliament. The constitution renders all legislative duties of the country to the national

parliament called Jatiya Sangsad. Like other parliaments, Jatiya Sangsad also has an

independent administrative organization named ‘Parliament Secretariat’. It is

organized with different wings under the authority of the Speaker. Parliament

possesses its staff and support services with an administrative hierarchy in which

Secretary acts as a chief executive officer under supervision of the Speaker. Article 79

of the Constitution defines guarantees that JS secretariat will be independent from

ministerial control and supervision. Constitution also ensures that recruitment and

conditions of services of the secretariat shall be determined by the JS with its own law

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and regulations. This constitutional provision empowers the JS to enact law for

establishing and regulating its own secretariat. For the first time, 5th JS has initiated

and passed the law regarding parliament secretariat known as “Parliament Secretariat

Act, 1994” which visualizes the secretariat. Some of the major features of this Act are

as follows (Bangladesh Gazette Extraordinary, 1994):

1. The Parliament Secretariat is not under the administrative control of any

ministry, department or office of the Government;

2. The administrative responsibility for the Parliament Secretariat is entrusted to

the Speaker and he/she discharges his/her responsibility either him/herself or

shall impose it on an officer determined by rule. The Speaker is accountable to

the JS in respect of all activities of the Parliament Secretariat;

3. The Parliament Secretariat shall be constituted with officers and staff who

shall be recruited according to the Parliament Secretariat Officers and

Employees Recruitment Rules, 1982, until the rules have been made;

4. The Speaker is finally responsible to approve the budget of the Parliament

Secretariat with the advice of the Parliament Secretariat Commission before

forwarding it to the Ministry of Finance for its incorporation in the annual

financial statement of the government;

5. The PSA has constituted the Parliament Secretariat Commission, which can

determine its own procedure. The commission is consisted of the five

members, the Speaker, as its Chairman; the Prime Minister, the Leader of the

Opposition, the Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department of

Parliamentary Affairs, the Minister of Finance are the other members of this

commission. Act also provides that any Member of this commission can

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 appoint an MP to represent him/her in the commission. The Parliament

Secretary Commission has advisory function with regards to the

determination, diminution and increase of the number of officers and

employees of the Parliament Secretariat and on the preparation of the annual

budget of the Secretariat and the expenditure of the budget appropriations;

6. The PSA defines that the Parliament Secretary shall discharge all necessary

secretarial duties for the Parliament and shall perform all functions imposed

on it by the Rules of Procedure of the parliament of Bangladesh.

Major functions of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat are to assist and advices the

Speaker to conduct his duties and functions, discharges all secretarial work relating to

the summoning and adjournment of sittings of the Parliament on consultation with the

Leader of the Parliament; conduct and management of the Parliament Secretariat

Library. Parliament Secretariat is also responsible for preparing, editing, printing and

publishing the minutes of proceedings of the permanent and all other Committees of

the Parliament as well as assisting the Members of the Parliament for the discharge

and performance of their parliamentary duties and functions.

Structure of Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat

JS Secretariat is divided into four different wings: Legislation Wing, Committee

Wing, Administration Wing and Establishment Wing. In turn, each wing is divided

into several sections with specific work responsibilities. Each Wing is headed by a

Joint Secretary. Among the four wings, Legislation Wing and Committee Wing serve

under the control and supervision of Additional Secretary (Legislation), while the

Administration Wing and Establishment Wing are responsible to the Additional

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Secretary (Implementation) (for detail information www.parliamentofbangladesh.org). All

of them are accountable to the Secretary of the Parliament

Among the four wings, Legislation Wing is mainly responsible for processing and

drafting the Bills, keeping the record of the debates and printing the necessary papers,

and to provide secretarial support during question hour. This wing is divided into

Legislation Section I and II; they deal with the Government and Private Members’

Bill respectively. Besides the processing of Government Bills, Legislation Section I

also works for the Business Advisory Committee and the Committee on Rules of

Procedure. Legislation Wing also has other several sections such as Question Section,

responsible for collecting questions and reply and to circulate the admitted questions

to the Members; Section for the Orders of the Day is charged to overview of the entire

Orders of the Day for a sitting and prepare briefs for the Speaker on each item;

Editing Section is responsible for editing debates and committee deliberations as

reported by the reporters’ cell. Then Publication Section moves to print the minutes of

debates, committee reports, Bills, Bulletins. Another important component of the

Legislation Wing is legislative drafting unite which is responsible to assist the

Standing Committee on Private Members’ Bills in drafting Private Members’ Bills as

well as assists all standing committees in the examinations of Bills referred to them.

Apart from these, Legislation Wing also serves three non-ministerial standing

committees.

Committee Wing with its 15 different sections serves 41 standing committees with

necessary technical and administrative supports. Major tasks of this wing are to issue

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notices of committee meetings to the members and others concerned to the

committee, produces working papers, prepare the minutes of the meeting and circulate

same after due approval, arrange visits of sub-committees as they needed. Their other

task is to prepare the draft report according to the advice of the committee chairmen.

They also maintain contact with the members and others as required.

Administrative Wing is responsible for providing logistic supports and maintenance

the parliament building this wing also serves the “House Committee” for maintaining

and controlling the MP Hostel. “Office of the Serjent-at-Arms” and “Law Office”

works under the supervision of the Administrative Wing. The law office began to

work in Bangladesh parliament since 1996. This office has only one officer

designated “Law Officer” who is responsible for providing necessary legal opinions

attending the committee meetings. Establishment Wing is responsible for staff

management. It works with its two distinct branches: Personal administration and

Accounts. The former is responsible for staff management and later for preparing

yearly budget and disbursement of funds.

Staff and Research Facilities

Belle Zeller shows in his study that adequate resources and institutional support is one

of the important factors to promote the effectiveness of committee system (Belle

Zeller, 1954,p.95). Comparing the effectiveness of committee system among fifty

American state legislatures, Alan Rosenthal again shows in 1973 that there is a clear

and positive relationship between committee resources and effectiveness of

committee. He argues that where facilities are better, there is a greater likelihood of

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more effective committees; where they are poorer, chances are greater that committee

system will be less effective (Alan Rosenthal, 1973,pp.256-57). Susan R. Benda

supports their argument in other words saying that where the committees are of

central importance, the committees are replete with qualified professionals who hold

substantial expertise and authority. On the other hand, in legislatures where

committees are less consequential, there are few staffs that, not surprisingly, perform

largely administrative functions (Susan R. Benda, 1996, p.15).

Table 1: Legislative Staff in the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat

Name of the Office 1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class Total
Secretariat 93 88 282 153 616
Speaker Office 5 0 4 11 20
Leader of the House 2 0 2 5 9
Opposition Leader 4 0 4 10 18

Off.
Whip Office 13 0 13 31 57
Standing Committees 46 46 0 46 138
Total 163 134 305 256 858

Source: Establishment Section, Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, 2006.

Unlike the parliaments of the Western democracies, Bangladesh Parliament

Secretariat is not equipped with a large number of staffs; there is no individual

secretary for the committees. As demonstrate in the Table 1, there are only twenty

staffs work at the speaker office and altogether 138 staffs are employed for 48

permanent committees. Of them 41 standing committees are served by the committee

wing, legislative wing and administrative wing offer support to the other committees.

There are four Deputy Secretaries, seven Assistant Secretaries or Senior Assistant

Secretaries and six Committee Officers employed in the Committee Wing. This

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arrangement is not adequate to discharge its assigned duties properly. JS’s members

are not funded to appoint personal staff as in the U.S. Congress or German Bundestag.

Only parliamentary Party leaders, Whips, Deputy Whips are offered staff support.

JS does not have a research service with large research assistants as Bundestag has.

The seventh JS established Law Office in 1996 with only one officer for giving legal

opinion on service matters in general and on disciplinary matters in particular. He

makes himself available in meetings of Committees examining Bills referred to them

by the House (www.parliamentofbangladesh.org/general-14.html). It is very difficult

for a single officer to respond all quarries come from the committee. Legislative

Information Centre (LIC) has recently been established in the JS for supplying

confidential and efficient information, within almost possible time. But it becomes

very hard for them to assist all legislators with a very lean staff and computer.

IT Facilities

Information Technology (IT) is a way of networking. It facilitates to make the

parliament closer to the citizens. Therefore, in recent years, a number of developed

and developing countries have made significant steps in developing information flow

between parliament and citizens through IT. It enables the parliament in one hand to

keep closer with citizens. On the other hand, citizens can better be informed about

parliamentary activities. Parliamentary website makes a link between the parliament

and citizens at wider level containing detail information about plenary debates and

proceedings, committee composition including their functions and current activities.

In the parliamentary process, legislators can contribute with current information and

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examples collecting from the Internet. Moreover, legislators can answer questions and

build personal contacts with citizens by using e-mail.

At the end of 2006, Bangladesh connected with the world web by launching sub-

marine cable. Internet users are rapidly growing in the country, but most of the

parliaments are far away from the IT. Biography of Eighth Parliamentarians repealed

that only few parliamentarians have their own e-mail address. However, Computer

User's pool has been established with twelve computers and network printers for the

Members, authorized staff of MPs and senior secretariat staff. LIC staff reports that

Members occasionally come to use this pool. JS has its own home page containing the

Constitution, Rules of Procedure, Short note about the parliamentary organs, some

bulletin published by the LIC, News Letters and Monographs published by the IPS.

Information provided in the home page is not up dated.

Parliaments of the developed countries set up permanent technical infrastructure for

TV broadcasting. The German parliament TV channel is completely independent and

uninfluenced. They have their own right to decide whether there is public interest in a

session and whether it will be televised. Survey shows that 46% of all the adult

respondents of the Germans choose TV as the only one source for political

information(Heinrich Oberreuter, 1990, p., 527). Bangladesh began to live telecast

parliamentary debates in the Bangladesh Television (BTV) from the fifth JS. Plenary

debates are allowed for televised but committee meetings are not. After a few

sessions, BTV lost its credibility; opposition often claimed that BTV showed its

strong biasness to the government. While some private TV channels are relatively

impartial covering political news.

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 Box: Recourse Facilities Available for MPs (as in 2006)

Number of total Parliament Members 330

No. of total Personal Staff 0
No. of total parliamentary staff 616
No. of parliamentary staff per MP 1.9
No. of total Permanent Committee 46
No. of total Committee Staff 138
Number of staff per committee 3
Number of Committee Meeting Room 6
No. of Computer in Members’ Pools 12
Source: Parliament Secretariat, Dhaka, 2006

Financial Facilities

In the parliamentary arena, parliamentarians have double burden- every member have

to attend the session and seat at least in one committee. Therefore, they are required

financial benefits to live independently as well as to pay more time for work

intensively. JS’s members frequently say that their occupation is being JS Members.

Over the years, they have increased their salary and other benefits. The

"Remuneration and Allowances of Members of Parliament" regulates their financial

benefits. With the recent pay system, salary and allowance of the members have been

increased. As of January 2003, JS members receive monthly Taka 10,000 as basic

salary. In addition, they receive allowances for constituency visit, entertainment,

medical and telephones; they are also granted daily allowance while parliament is in

session. Furthermore, they are granted for travel allowance for parliamentary

sittings/business, which is 1 ½ of the most expensive fair, as well as airfare will be

paid for overseas travel on official duty. Apart from all of these allowances, JS

members are given facility of buying duty-free cars since 1987. In terms of per capita

income, JS's members receive an overwhelming salary, which is 2.94 or 8.33 higher

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 Comparing to the salary of a secondary school teacher or skilled factory worker

respectively.

Table 2: Financial Benefits for Individual JS’s Member (1973-2006)

Items of Benefits 1973 1980 1992 2002-2006

Monthly Salary Tk. 1,000/- Tk. ,1500/- Tk. 3,000/- Tk. 10,000/-
Constituency - - Tk. 1,500/- Tk. 5,000/-
Allowance(Monthly)
Entertainment Allowance (Monthly) - - Tk. 1,000/- Tk. 6,000/-
Office Expenses (Monthly) - - Tk. 1,500/- Tk. 6,000/-
Travel Allowance Tk. .50 (per k.m.) Tk. 1.00 (per Tk. 1.00 (per Tk. 6.00 (per
k.m.) k.m.) k.m.)
Daily Allowance Tk. 65 Tk. 100 Tk.250/- Tk.500/-
Telephone Allowance (Monthly) Tk.100/- Tk. 1,000/- Tk. 4,000/- Tk.6,000/-
Medical Allowance As like Class I Tk. 200/- Tk.200/- Tk.200/-
(Monthly) Officer
Insurance - - Tk. Tk.
3,00000/- 5,00000/-
Discretionary Grant - - Tk. 75,000/- Tk.
1,00000/-
Buying Duty Free Vehicle No No Yes Yes

Source: Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, 2006.

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Conclusion

From the above discussion, it reveals that Bangladesh parliament is not properly

equipped with sufficient staff and research assistants compared with the parliaments

of the developed countries. However, Parliament Secretariat made separate from the

government secretariat but still the parliamentary Class I and above grade staffs are

deputed from the civil service, deputed staff work in the parliament for three to five

years. Therefore, they do not show their interest to be a parliamentary professional.

However, parliamentary committees and other bodies require professional and expert

staff. It is observed that there is serious lack of research staff to assist the

parliamentary committee office and individual members as well. Parliament is also

suffering from IT facilities. Parliamentary website is not well documented, it only

contained some general information. Apart from these shortcomings, JS seats are

attractive from the financial and social points of view. Members of the JS receive an

overwhelming salary and other financial benefits, which lead an economical

imbalance between parliamentarians and mass of the society. JS seats are attractive

from the other point of view also. Moreover, it has an important link in resources

distribution and it gives power and prestige. Therefore, new business elite, former

civil- military officials and black moneyed man paid their highest effort to become

parliamentarians. They are more interest to increase their salaries and other benefits

rather than logistics supports and IT facilities.

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References

Bangladesh Gazette Extraordinary, 18th May, 1994, The Parliament Secretariat Act,

1994.

Bangladesh Parliament, www.parliamentofbangladesh.org ,

C. Patterson, Samuel, 1990, “Parties and Committees in Congress”, Uwe Thasen,

Roger H. Davidson and Robert Gerald Livingstone, (eds) The U.S. Congress and

German Bundestag: Comparisons of Democratic Processes ,Oxford: Westview Press.

Campbell, Stanley and Laporte, Jean, 1981, “The Staff of the Parliamentary

Assemblies in France”, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 6 No.4.

F. Feldkamp, Michael and Sommer, Christa, 2003, Parliaments und Wahlstatistics

Des Deutschen Bundestages: 1949-2002/3, Deutsher Bundestag, Berlin.

H. Baerwald, Hans, 1979, “ Committees in the Japanese Diet”, in John D.Lees and

Malcolm Shaw (eds.), Committees in Legislatures: A Comparative Analysis, Durham:

Duke University Press.

Heinrich Oberreuter,1990, “The Bundestag and Media in the Federal Republic of

Germany”, at Uwe Thaysen, Roger H. Davidson, and Robert Gerald Livingstone

(eds.), The U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag: Comparisons of Democratic

Process, San Francisco: Westview Press.

Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliaments of the World: A Comparative Reference

Compendium, Gower, England, 1986, pp.363-65

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Laundy, Philip, 1989, Parliaments in the Modern World, Dartmouth, USA.

R. Benda, Susan, 1996, Committees in Legislatures : A Division of Labor, Legislative

Research Series Paper # 2, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs,

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Rosenthal, Alan, June 1973, "Legislative Committee Systems: An Exploratory

Analysis", Western Political Quarterly, Vol.26, No.2 .

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Zeller, Belle, 1954, American State Legislatures, New York: Crowell.

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