Seimas
141 MPs' comprise the Seimas of the
Every year the Seimas convene for two regular sessions - one in spring
and one in fall. The spring session commences on March 10th and ends on June 30th.
The fall session commences on September 10th and ends on December 23rd. The
Seimas may resolve to prolong a session or convene extraordinary sessions (upon
the proposal of at least one-third of all the Seimas members, and, in cases
provided for in the Constitution, by the President of the Republic).
As a rule, four sittings a week - two on
Tuesday and two on Thursday - are held during the Seimas session, whereas every
three weeks plenary sittings of the Seimas are adjourned for a week. On other
days of the week and in the week when no plenary sittings are held, sittings of
the Board of the Seimas, the Assembly of Elders, parliamentary groups,
committees and commissions as well as meetings of members of the Seimas with
electors or representatives of local governments are held. The preliminary
schedule of plenary sittings of a Seimas session is approved by the Board of
the Seimas.
The morning sitting of the Seimas are as a rule held from
Laws are adopted if the majority of the Seimas members participating in
the sitting vote in favour.
Approximately 1000 drafts of legal acts are
registered in the Office of Seimas. The Seimas adopts approximately 600 legal acts
per year.
Committees
The Seimas forms committees from
among its members for the consideration of draft laws and other issues assigned
to its competence by the Constitution. The list of the committees is
established by the Statute of the Seimas. There are 14 committees in Seimas:
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Committee
on Environment Protection
-
Committee
on Budget and Finance
-
Committee
on Economics
-
Committee
on European Affairs
-
Committee
of the Development of Information Society
-
Committee
on Rural Affairs
-
Committee
on National Security and Defence
-
Committee
on Social Affairs and Labour
-
Committee
on Health Affairs
-
Committee
on Education, Science and Culture
-
Committee
on Legal Affairs
-
Committee
on Foreign Affairs
-
Committee
on State Administration and Local Authorities
-
Committee
on Human Rights
The
committees of the Seimas are formed during the first session of the newly
elected Seimas and are made up of no less than 7 and no more than 17 Seimas
members (with the exception of the Committee on European Affairs) according to
the principle of proportional representation of the parliamentary groups. The
precise number of members of each committee is determined by a decision of the
Seimas.
The Committee on European Affairs is made up of no less than 15 members
according to the principle of proportional representation of the parliamentary
groups. Seimas members who are on the other committees, and members of the
Board of the Seimas may be members of the Committee on European Affairs.
During a session, regular committee sittings are organised at least once
a week. During a Seimas sitting, committee sittings are organised only with the
consent of the Seimas. Between ordinary Seimas sessions, there are normally a
one-month adjournment in the work of the committees.
The trends of activities of the Seimas committees, as well as their
powers and working procedure are established by the Statute of the Seimas and
other laws. Under the new Statute of the Seimas which has come into effect on 1
February 1999, the scope and importance of work of the Seimas committees has
increased significantly. It is at the Seimas committees that the most thorough
analysis of the draft laws and other legal acts under preparation is made,
consultations of specialists in different fields are provided and opinions are
heard.
The committees of the Seimas are responsible and accountable to the
Seimas. Committees must during the set time discuss and present conclusions on
the issues referred to them for consideration, and perform other tasks assigned
to them by the Seimas. Committees shall be responsible for the timely
establishment of necessity of appropriate laws and other legal acts,
initiation, according to their trends of activities and competence, of the
preparation thereof, and the commission of detailed conclusions relative to the
drafts thereof.
The Seimas committees work in accordance with the plans approved by the
committees themselves, which must be co-ordinated with the work programme of a
Seimas session. Such work plans state the persons responsible for the
implementation and time limits of the implementation. Work plans of the
committees and agendas of sittings shall be publicly announced and transferred
to the Chairman of the Seimas and the Chancellor of the Seimas.
The activities of the committees are co-ordinated by the Chairman of the
Seimas, the Board of the Seimas in accordance with the work programmes of the
Seimas sessions and work plans of the committees. Committees may themselves
approve the rules of working procedure, which must be in compliance with the
Statute of the Seimas.
In order to prepare issues which are subject to consideration,
committees may form from among their members preparatory working groups. The
said groups may include other Seimas members upon their consent, as well as
representatives of State institutions, parties and public organisations,
experts and scientists. Funds for the experts of such groups shall be allocated
in accordance with the approved estimate of expenditures of the committee.
Office of the Seimas (Chancellery of
the Seimas)
Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania provides services to
the Seimas. The Office of the Seimas functions in compliance with the
regulations of the Office of the Seimas approved By the Board of the Seimas.
The Office of the Seimas is financed from the State Budget.
Main tasks of the Office of the Seimas are to ensure efficient
functioning of the Seimas; to provide to the Chairman of the Seimas, Deputy
Chairmen of the Seimas, Members of the Seimas, Committees, Commissions and
Parliamentary Groups of the Seimas necessary assistance, information, legal,
financial, material, technical and other services to ensure parliamentary
activities.
By advice of the Chancellor of the Seimas the Board of the Seimas shall
approve the structure of the Office of the Seimas, staff list and salary
brackets.
When carrying out the tasks assigned to the Office of the Seimas, it
performs the following functions:
1. assist the Seimas, Committees and Commissions of the Seimas, other
institutions established by the Seimas in drafting laws, resolutions and other
legal acts, carrying out parliamentary scrutiny and other functions;
2. draft laws, resolutions of the Seimas and other legal acts for the
adoption by the Seimas;
3. register submitted drafts of laws, resolutions of the Seimas and
other legal acts, as well as proposals, decrees of the President of the
Republic, systematise and codify them, and provide information pertaining to
the requirements for drafts submitted for registration;
4. consider drafts of legal acts, letters, official documents submitted
by State institutions, enterprises, agencies, organisations and individuals to
the Seimas, the Chairman of the Seimas, the Deputy Chairmen of the Seimas, the
Chancellor of the Seimas or other Members of the Seimas, and, upon their
instruction, prepare proposals and replies;
5. ensure publication of registered
legal acts and legal acts adopted by the Seimas;
6. submit to the Seimas conclusions regarding drafts of laws, Seimas
resolutions and other legal acts presented to the Seimas for consideration;
7. edit drafts of laws, other legal acts; prepare final texts of laws,
resolutions of the Seimas, directives of the Chairman of the Seimas and other
legal acts which are submitted to the President of the Republic, the Chairman
of the Seimas for signing;
8. prepare verbatim records of sittings of the Seimas, reviews of legal
acts and statistical data on publication of legal acts;
9. ensure translation of adopted legal acts and other documents into
foreign languages, as well as interpreting at various meetings and events;
10. collect, prepare and process information necessary for Seimas
activities, furnish it to the Seimas;
11. examine material pertaining to the activities of the Office of the
Seimas, which is provided by the mass media, submit proposals to the Board of
the Seimas;
12. prepare and furnish to State institutions, local authorities,
diplomatic missions, mass media reports of the Press Service regarding drafts
of laws under preparation, adopted laws and other legal acts, as well as
information provided by others, concerning Seimas activities;
13. accredit employees of the mass
media, develop public relations;
14. ensure the functioning of information technology equipment in the
Seimas buildings and other premises where events organised by the Seimas are
held;
15. manage the Seimas information
system and databases contained in it;
16. organise clerical work of the
Seimas and the Office of the Seimas;
17. ensure acquisition, storage and use of archival records of the
Seimas and the Office of the Seimas;
18. generalise information received from the residents in oral or
written form. When necessary, it shall submit information and manners of
resolution to the Board of the Seimas for consideration.
19. establish and maintain contacts with foreign parliaments and their
institutions, international organisations;
20. organise competitions for officials, performance evaluation of
officials, qualifications improvement, and carry out other requirements
regarding personnel issues;
21. administer acceptance to work, transference and dismissal from work
of employees of the Office of the Seimas, assistants-secretaries of the Seimas
members, advisers to the parliamentary groups; form personal files of the
Seimas members.
22. administer reporting and accounting, carry out financing of the
Seimas and its institutions;
23. control activities of state
enterprises established by the Office of the Seimas;
24. provide servicing of events organised in the Seimas buildings by the
Seimas and other institutions;
25. provide proper working conditions for the Chairman of the Seimas,
the Members of the Seimas and employees of the Office of the Seimas;
26. perform other functions laid down by laws and other legal acts.
Tasks of the Office of the Seimas shall be implemented by the divisions
of the Office of the Seimas.
The Chancellor of the Seimas
The
Chancellor of the Seimas is the head of the Office and is responsible for the operation
of the Office of the Seimas. He is appointed by the Seimas for the term of
office 5 years, upon the offering of the Chairman of the Seimas. The Chancellor is accountable to the
Board of The Seimas.
Powers of
the Chancellor of the Seimas:
1. supervise
the drafting of documents of the Seimas and the Board of the Seimas, observe
the consideration of the submitted draft laws within the set time limit;
2.
supervise the consideration of issues, inquiries and interpellations submitted
to the Government and the heads of other State institutions and furnish related
information to Seimas Members;
3. consider
the issues raised by the Seimas Members concerning the functioning of the
Office of the Seimas; supervise the implementation of the decisions of the Board
of the Seimas by the structural units of the Office of the Seimas, as well as
their compliance with the provisions and internal rules which regulate the
functioning thereof;
4. assist
the Chairman of the Seimas in preparing a draft work program of a session, as
well as draft agendas for week- and day-long sittings;
5. assist
the Chairman of the Seimas in preparing draft agendas of meetings of the Board
of the Seimas, as well as the material related to the issues subject to
consideration;
6. work out
draft agendas of the Assembly of Elders;
7. endorse
official documents prior to their being submitted to the Chairman of the Seimas
for signing and, within the limits of his competence, sign official documents;
8. be
responsible for the use and keeping of the Seimas Seals bearing the State
Emblem;
9. propose
members to the tellers group in accordance with the procedure provided for in
this Statute;
10.
regularly submit to the Seimas summarised data concerning proposals, wishes and
letters addressed by voters to the Seimas;
11.
together with the representatives of the parliamentary groups, arrange the
seats in the chamber for the members of the parliamentary groups and for those
members of the Seimas who do not belong to any parliamentary group and allocate
premises for meetings of the parliamentary groups; and
12. resolve
issues concerning the employment or dismissal of assistants-secretaries of
Seimas Members.
Departments and divisions
The
Directorate of the Office of the Seimas is established to advise the Chancellor
of the Seimas in the main issues. Directorate includes the directors of
departments.
The heads
of the divisions direct the activities of the divisions or subordinate
employees and are responsible for the fulfilment of the functions assigned to
them.
The heads
of the divisions of the Office of the Seimas are accountable and responsible to
the Chancellor of the Seimas. They are appointed by competition like the others
civil servants. Politicians can't make any influence on their appointment. The
procedures of their appointment and replacement regulates the Law on Public
Service.
The heads
of the divisions of the Office of the Seimas:
-
discharge
functions provided for in regulations of the divisions approved by the Board of
the Seimas, or assigned by the Chancellor of the Seimas;
-
direct
the activities of the divisions or subordinate employees and be responsible for
the fulfilment of the functions assigned to them;
-
assign
duties to subordinate employees, ensure appropriate organisation of work,
discipline and proper record keeping;
-
analyse
the state of affairs and main problems related to the fields assigned to him,
organise the preparation of appropriate conclusions and proposals.
Civil servants
Civil servants of the Office of the Seimas are
a constituent part of the civil service of the Republic of Lithuania. Their
status is regulated by the Law on Civil Service. This law lays down the basic
principles of the civil service in Lithuania, the status of a civil servant and
the legal basis for the management of the civil service.
According to the law, civil servant is a natural person who has acquired
the status of a public servant pursuant to this Law and other legislation, and
who in state (central and municipal) institutions or agencies performs the
functions of public administration.
There are 2 groups of civil servants in the Office of the Seimas: career
civil servants and civil servants of political (personal) confidence.
Employment contracts are not concluded with civil servants. Labour laws
and other legal acts regulating labour relations and social guarantees shall
apply to civil servants in so far as they do not contravene the Law on Civil
Service, and other laws and statutes regulating their status.
Guarantees of other employees that perform technical functions in the
administration, are regulated by the labour laws applicable to all employees.
Civil servants are employed on a competition basis having passed an
entrance examination. It consists of two parts - an interview (oral examination)
and test. Any civil servant can be appointed to a vacant position (after the
competition or performance evaluation ) or any person after the competition.
Civil servants of political (personal) confidence are recruited without
competition by choice of state politicians. Civil servants of political
(personal) confidence are appointed for the duration of politicians' term in
office. Following are the positions of civil servants of political (personal)
confidence in the Office of the Seimas: advisers to the Chairman of the Seimas
and the deputy chairmen, assistants to the Members of the Parliament and
assistants to the Elders of Parliamentary Groups.
Career system is common to all of civil servants. Career civil servants
may on their own initiative seek for a change of the position. They can apply
for another position in the same category and grade in the same or other
institution or agency. They can be promoted after an annual performance
evaluation.
Remuneration of civil servants is also regulated by the Law on Civil
Service. Working hours, safety at work and occupational health, social
security, pensions of civil servants are regulated by laws and other legal acts
applicable to all employees.
The cases
on dismissal from civil service are judged in the administrative courts.
Civil servants of the Office of the Seimas are employed on a competition
basis, having passed qualifications examinations. Other employees of the Office
of the Seimas are employed and dismissed by order of the Chancellor of the
Seimas, after consultation with the head of an appropriate division.
The staff of the Standing Committees consists of civil servants.
Formally they are accountable to the Chancellor of the Seimas, but in practice
they obey to the orders of Chairs of the Committees.
Horizontal co-operation (often without any top-down co-ordination)
between different divisions of the Office occur depending on the specifics of
tasks performed.
The changes in the structure of the Office include increase in the
number of civil servants who will carry out the functions connected with the
European integration.
Recently, a EU Information centre was established as part of the
Committee for European Affairs. It s main function is to provide the public
with the information concerning the EU affairs.
Level of computerisation has increased greatly.
The Seimas website is one of the best of all governmental sites. It is possible
to observe all the sittings of Seimas on the Internet, all laws and draft laws
are published in Seimas website.
The parliament is open to the public on certain
occasions. Exhibitions and concerts are organised with the view of promoting of
public relations.
The new
training programs were prepared for the civil servants, particularly on the
integration into the EU. Lots of training event, conferences, seminars are
conducted in the Office of the Seimas. Lots of study visit are organised to the
EU member states.