Loading AI tools
A Parliamentary Inquiry Committee is an investigation committee of the legislative branch, which transforms the parliamentary house itself into a committee to hear testimonies and gather information directly. At the municipal level, its correct name is Special Inquiry Committee.[1]
  | This page or section is written from a primarily Brazilian perspective and may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. |
The committee is set up for a limited duration. Usually the committee delivers a report with conclusions and recommendations, in order to spur government action to improve policy or prevent similar events from happening again.
The European Parliament may set up committees of inquiry.
The Chamber of Representatives, the lower house of the Belgian Federal Parliament, has the right to conduct parliamentary inquiries pursuant to article 56 of the Belgian Constitution, which provides that "Each Chamber has the right of inquiry".[2] The Senate also had a right to enquiry until 2014. Committees of inquiry were rarely set up until 20 years ago, and have been used increasingly in the recent past, dealing with matters deemed of major public concern or apparent governmental failure.
The regional parliaments of Belgium also have the right to conduct parliamentary inquiries.
In Brazil, several parliamentary inquiries (CPIs) have been established over the years.
Two recent parliamentary inquiry commissions in the Dutch House of Representatives were:
In Portugal, article 181, paragraph 5 expressly provides that Parliamentary Inquiry Committees have investigative powers similar to judicial authorities.[3] For example, the Camarate case resulted in inquiry committees.[4]
The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee has been adopted by several countries such as Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. In the case of Argentina, although it uses the institute, it is not provided for in its constitution. In Uruguay, it has been referred to in its constitutional text since 1918, expressly allowing for the establishment of a Parliamentary Inquiry Committee.[5]
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
