Mykola Tomenko: Within the Four Sessions, the Parliament has been acting as the Body in charge of Political Discussion, rather than Adoption of Adequate Legislative Decisions
Today, at the press conference at the Parliament, Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, summed up the preliminary results of the Fourth Session of the Sixth Convocation.
Thus, the Session was launched on 3 February and has been in progress for almost half a year. 61 plenary meetings have been held for the said period. 185 Laws were adopted in entirety, including 87 Laws submitted by the People´s Deputies, 83 by the Cabinet of Ministers, 15 by the President of Ukraine.
During the Fourth Session, the President of Ukraine imposed veto on 13 Bills, 10 of which were adopted at the second time, the President´s veto being overridden.
As far as the legislative activity of the Cabinet of Ministers for the said period is concerned, it has reduced slightly. However, if to consider the whole period of activity of the Verkhovna Rada of the Sixth Convocation and to compare the Bills submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the People´s Deputies, the ratio of Bill adopted is 171 to147.
July was the most inefficient and disputatious month. According to M.Tomenko, only 14 Bills were scrutinized during the said period, and only one Bill was adopted in its entirety.
According to the ratified schedule of activity of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, at least 12 sittings of the Committees were to be held. However, M.Tomenko reported that certain Committees worked more actively, i.e. the Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government held 20 meetings, the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement 16 meetings. At the same time, the Committee on Transport and Communications held only 3 meetings, and the Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information only 5 meetings.
"This information testifies of the inadequate role of the Committees in the legislative and organizational process of adopting resolutions. The Factions have lately assumed more functions of legislative initiative, than Committees", - stated the Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
"As far as the attendance of the plenary meetings of The Verkhovna Rada is concerned, 9 People´s Deputies, 8 of whom represent the Party of Regions, failed to attend the meetings for 60 times for an unknown reason", - stated Mykola Tomenko. Only 18 People´s Deputies attended every meeting of The Verkhovna Rada.
If to analyze the discipline of parliamentary activity of the People´s Deputies willing to run for presidency, three candidates were absent most frequently: I.H.Bohoslovska (48 plenary meetings, and 14 out of 14 Committee sittings missed), V.F.Yanukovych (38 plenary meetings, and 8 out of 9 Committee sittings missed), A.P.Yatseniuk (31 plenary meetings, and 5 out of 14 Committee sittings missed).
"It is obvious that the Constitutional, legislative and organizational resolutions are necessary to enhance efficient activity of the Parliament", - summed up Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He also deems necessary to enhance the role of the Committees as the main institute of law-making at the Parliament.
"On the whole, the Fourth Session of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had certain success in the law-making activity that were marred by the domination of politics and pre-election activity within the scope of the upcoming presidential campaign", - stated Mykola Tomenko.
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