Instruments for implementing the control function of Sejm –  an attempt to evaluate their effectiveness

The control function is one of the oldest and most fundamental spheres of representative body’s activity. The aim of the control carried out by the representative body is to investigate certain areas of government activity, detect and indicate irregularities, as well as to undertake measures to prevent irregularities in the future. The implementation of the Sejm’s control function, which is based on art. 95, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, occurs when applying wide range of instruments among which we can discern instruments of individual control of Deputies (parliamentary interpellation, parliamentary questions, questions on current affairs and current information), the activities of Sejm committees, including the parliamentary commission of inquiry and instruments of control carried out by the entire chamber. The effectiveness of these instruments may be considered on many grounds – from the possibility of being used by groups staying in opposition to the ruling majority to assessment of the objectives connected to each of the control instruments, and this requires Sejm control criteria to be defined.

In its activities, the Senate uses a number of control powers defined by statutes and regulations, although this is not directly based on the provisions of the Polish Constitution. Such a practice is justified, if one considers the nature of the Senate as a representative body and the nature of the senatorial mandate, which does not differ from the nature of the deputy mandate. The role of the Senate, also in the scope of the indicated powers of a controlling nature, may increase when a different political majority in the Senate than in the Sejm is formed. As a result of the post-election agreement in 2019, the political majority in the Senate is different from the political majority in the Sejm. This new phenomenon in the Polish political system creates the possibility of a wider use of the Senate’s “soft” control tools. The presented paper attempts to synthetically present the reasons for considering the Senate’s control powers and their impact on ensuring systemic stability.

Selected Control Instruments Used by Committees of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland

The article discusses the control instruments used by Sejm committees acting as bodies of the Sejm. The committees have a wide range of possibilities to perform their control function, but they cannot go beyond the scope specified in the constitution. Some committees have their own powers based on special statutory regulations. The article is based on legal provisions and parliamentary practice, indicates the advantages and disadvantages of the instruments used, and also contains conclusions regarding the possibilities of improving this aspect of the committee’s operation.