scrutiny of the executive branch. Most of the detailed work is carried out by the committees before the subject matter is placed on the agenda of the Plenary. Since committees offer an opportunity for a detailed examination of the matter in a small group, it presents an opportunity for the members to develop expertise in specific areas.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE
COMMITTEES
The parliamentary committees may be classified in terms of their legal basis, duration of mandate, and the functions they perform. Most of the standing committees are established at the beginning of each parliamentary term under the provisions of the ROP. The Committee on Human Rights Inquiry, Committee on Equal Opportunity for Women and Men, Committee on Public Economic Most of the detailed
work is carried out by the committees before the subject matter is placed on the agenda of the Plenary.
Enterprises, and Committee on European Union Harmonization were established by special laws and perform their duties in accordance with these laws and the ROP. The Committee on Plan and Budget and committees of investigation are regulated by the Constitution.
The committees are traditionally classified as ad-hoc committees and standing committees with regard to their term of office. The committees of inquiry and investigation that are established by a resolution of the Assembly to deal with specific subjects are ad-hoc committees. They cease to exist immediately after reporting to the Assembly on the matters assigned to them. Standing committees are permanent committees that are established by the Constitution, laws, and the ROP and serve for the duration of parliamentary term.
The committees of the Assembly can be classified according to the functions they perform. Most of the standing committees are established only for detailed examination of the bills referred to them. Bills must be considered first in the committee responsible before the Assembly can take a decision. However, the committees do not have the right to make final decisions on a bill. They only examine the bills and submit their conclusions in a report to the Assembly, which is the sole authority to say the final word. The Committee on Petition and Committee on Public Economic Enterprises have been set up for particular purposes other than examination of bills such as dealing with petitions and oversight of public economic enterprises.
The Assembly may set up ad-hoc committees by a resolution to conduct parliamentary inquiries or investigations. These committees are formed with a view to examining particular subjects and dissolved when they complete their work. In addition, there is a Joint Committee composed of members of the Committee on the Constitution and Committee on Justice, which has the duty to examine cases pertaining to lifting parliamentary immunity and loss of membership due to non-attendance.
STANDING COMMITTEES
There are 17 standing committees in the Assembly, which are generally established in parallel with the ministerial structure of the country. It must be noted that, except for committees established by special laws, the area of jurisdiction for each committee is not expressly defined by the ROP. The explanatory memorandum of
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the ROP and parliamentary practice may help us to clarify the area of jurisdiction for each committee. The standing committees with their areas of jurisdiction are stated below:
1. Committee on the Constitution considers constitutional bills, bills related to the parliamentary elections, functions of GNAT, status of the deputies, proposals related to the ROP, bills and decrees having the force of law related to the organization, and the working procedure of the Prime Ministry and other ministries, plus bills on the status of political parties.
2. Committee on Justice examines bills related to the judicial affairs and fundamental laws such as civil law, criminal law, commerce law, etc.
3. Committee on National Defense is responsible for
deliberating on bills related to the national security, defense, and military service.
4. Committee on Internal Affairs deals with bills related to the central and local administration, internal security (police), gendarmerie, emergency situations, citizenship, local government, passport services, status of foreign
citizens, intelligence, establishment of new sub-provinces and provinces, etc.
5. Committee on Foreign Affairs deliberates bills approving the ratification of international treaties and bills related to the organization of foreign affairs.
6. Committee on National Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport considers bills regulating the right of education, protection of youth, promotion of sport, protection of history, cultural and natural assets, and promotion of art.
7. Committee on Settlement, Development, Transport, and Tourism deals with the bills related to the settlement, development, transport, and tourism. Bills related to the postal service, information and communication, transport systems (aviation, rail, roads, shipping), tourism incentives, etc. are examples of bills that are currently on the agenda of the committee.
8. Committee on Environment examines bills related to environmental policies such as protection of the environment, prevention of water and air pollution, conservation of natural resources and biological diversity.
There are seventeen standing committees in the Assembly which are established in parallel with the ministerial structure of the country.
9. Committee on Health, Family, Employment, and Social Affairs considers bills related to the health, health insurance, working life, pensions systems, social security systems, employment, protection of family, and social aids.
10. Committee on Agriculture, Forest, and Rural Affairs deals with bills regulating food and agriculture, animal protection, and protection of forests.
11. Committee on Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information, and Technology deliberates bills about industry, mining, fuel products, natural gas, domestic and foreign trade, renewable energy, etc.
12. Committee on Petitions examines the petitions submitted by the citizens to the Assembly about their requests and grievances.
13. Committee on Plan and Budget considers Budget Bills, Final Account Bills, bills on taxes, levies and charges, and bills requiring additional financial burden in the state budget.
14. Committee on Public Economic Enterprises is responsible for scrutinizing the activities of public economic enterprises.
15. Committee on Human Rights Inquiry has the monitoring and supervisory functions in the field of human rights. The committee receives and considers individual complaints about the violation of human rights, and monitors the implementations of the obligations that Turkey has assumed under international treaties, the Constitution, and laws.
16. Committee on Equal Opportunity for Women and Men
deals with matters about the protection and improvement of women’s rights and promoting equality between women and men, and if requested, submits opinions to the committees responsible about the bills and decrees having the force of law.
17. Committee on European Union Harmonization is responsible for harmonizing the domestic legislation with the acquis communautaire in order to prepare Turkey for full membership and examine the activities of the government on that matter.