French Republic PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT THE PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT - STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, COMPOSITION - Given the ever-increasing role of science in Assembly and the Senate. It consists of eighteen everyday life, it could hardly fail to become a deputies and eighteen senators. subject of political interest. It became progressively obvious that there was a need for a parliamentary assessment of technology in order to The Office is chaired alternately for three- anticipate its year periods by a member from either chamber, consequences with internal and monitor its rules stipulating impact. that the First Vice- A number Chairperson of debates in the shall come from early 1980s the other (e.g. regarding chamber. the future of the nation's nuclear, space and cable programmes) caused the French Power of referral reserved for parliamentary Parliament to realize that it was unable to bodies formulate an impartial assessment of Government decisions regarding the broad guidelines of its The Office can be commissioned to conduct scientific and technological policies. an assessment, primarily by an internal It therefore decided to establish its own parliamentary body i.e. by the Bureau of either assessment authority: the Parliamentary Office assembly (upon its own initiative, by request of for Scientific and Technological Assessment. the chairperson of a political group, by request of sixty deputies or forty senators) or by a special or Following an unanimous vote in favour of its permanent committee. creation, the Office was established by Law n° 83- In addition, since 1991, some laws have 609 of July 8, 1983. Its aims, within the terms of directly commissioned the Office to conduct a the law, are "to inform Parliament of the study or assessment mission. consequences of scientific and technological To date, the topics covered have fallen more choices, particularly to enable it to make or less equally into four main categories: energy, enlightened decisions". To this end, the Office the environment, new technologies and the life "collects information, launches study programmes sciences. and conducts assessments". Some referrals have been renewed year after year, for instance regarding the safety and security of nuclear installations. Others have required an THE OFFICE update of a previous Office report (developments in the semiconductor sector, high-definition digital A unique organization television, high-activity nuclear waste, The Office is an unusual organization within biotechnologies, bioethics, etc.). Such renewals Parliament: its members are appointed so as to enable the Office to continue to monitor these ensure proportional representation of the various topics. political groups and come from both the National Office parlementaire - Assemblée nationale 103, rue de l’Université - Bât. F - 75355 Paris 07 SP - tél : 01 40 63 70 65 - fax : 01 40 63 70 95 Sénat 4, rue Casimir Delavigne, 75006 Paris - tél : 01 42 34 25 58 - fax : 01 42 34 46 04 - www.assemblee-nationale.fr - www.senat.fr The parliamentary office for - 2 - scientific and technological assessment The Scientific Council competent figures from outside Parliament. The The Office acts as an intermediary between rapporteur may also engage independent experts the political sphere and the world of research. It and research agencies, in France or abroad, to has a duty to keep up to date with the latest conduct investigations and to study specific aspects research developments and to request official of the subject. In addition, the rapporteur may statements of opinion. To request the views and opinions of trade unions, conduct its missions, the professional bodies and Office is therefore assisted by organizations for environmental a Scientific Council whose or consumer protection. composition reflects the However, Office reports do not diversity of the scientific and merely juxtapose expert technological fields. The opinions or establish a "state of Council consists of twenty- the art" review of the subject in four leading figures, all chosen question. Because the reports for their expertise. are drafted by members of Parliament, their conclusions are more than simply STUDY PROGRAMMES informative; they also include proposals and recommendations. Appointing a rapporteur If the rapporteur deems it necessary, public hearings open to the press can be organized to Each referral entails the appointment of one gather or even confront the opinions of leading or more rapporteurs, chosen exclusively among the figures and organizations wishing to express their members of the Office. Several studies have views on the subject. The minutes of these public brought together a deputy and a senator, or a hearings can then be annexed to the report. member of parliament from the political majority and a member from the opposition. The powers of the rapporteur The feasibility study French law provides Office rapporteurs with the same powers as budget rapporteurs: they may Once appointed, the rapporteur first therefore conduct investigations of any state agency conducts a feasibility study. The objective of this and request any departmental documents, with the study is to assess the state of knowledge regarding exception of those dealing with national defence or the subject in question, to determine possible security. Moreover, if the rapporteurs encounter avenues of research, to assess the likelihood of any difficulties in the execution of their mission, obtaining pertinent results within the required they may request to be granted, for a period of no deadlines and, finally, to determine the means more than six months, the same prerogatives as required to conduct a study programme. those granted to parliamentary committees. The rapporteur then submits the conclusions of the feasibility study to the members of the Publication of reports Office. At this point, the Office must choose At the end of their study, the rapporteurs between three options: stop the investigation, a submit their draft report and conclusions to the very rare procedure; suggest a new formulation to other members of the Office. Their conclusions are the author of the referral; or, and this is by far the presented in such a way that they may be used most frequent course of action, implement a study directly for legislative work or budgetary programme leading to the establishment of a discussions. The members of the Office then decide report. whether to publish the report and all or part of the Drafting a report minutes of hearings and contributions made by experts. It should be pointed out in this regard that The rapporteur conducts hearings to solicit most Office decisions are reached unanimously, the the opinions of all concerned parties and Office being characterized by the consensual nature organizations. The rapporteur can also conduct on- of its positions. site visits, in France or abroad, to laboratories and Over the past few years, the practice has companies linked to the subject in question. developed of questioning the relevant ministers Throughout the study, the rapporteur is concerning the appropriate follow-up to assisted by a parliamentary official and, if rapporteurs' conclusions. necessary, by a study group consisting of Office parlementaire - Assemblée nationale 103, rue de l’Université - Bât. F - 75355 Paris 07 SP - tél : 01 40 63 70 65 - fax : 01 40 63 70 95 Sénat 4, rue Casimir Delavigne, 75006 Paris- tél : 01 42 34 25 58 - fax : 01 42 34 46 04 - www.assemblee-nationale.fr - www.senat.fr The parliamentary office for - 3 - scientific and technological assessment The documents produced by the Office form organizations. a specific collection within the general body of It has also built up a special relationship parliamentary reports and may be purchased at the with the scientific community as a whole and Boutique de l'Assemblée Nationale, at the Sénat maintains close links with it. This is illustrated by and from the Journal Officiel. They are also the various events associating the Parliamentary available on the websites of the assemblies. Office for Scientific and Technological Assessment with such prestigious bodies as the different Académies, CEA, INSERM, INRA, PUBLIC HEARINGS UniversSciences, CNRS, etc. Each year, the Office organizes several Finally, the Office also contributes to the public hearings on topical scientific or development of international parliamentary technological issues. relations and participates, particularly at a European level, in various conferences and events. This has particularly contributed to the GENERAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES development of a network for sharing and The Office has progressively become an exchanging information: the European acknowledged instrument of parliamentary action. Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA), Several laws make provision either for it to be consisting of the European organizations informed of, or to participate in the appointment of responsible for conducting scientific and parliamentary representatives to various bodies, or technological assessments for both national for it to be represented, by its chairperson or one of parliaments and the European Parliament. its members, on the board of directors of various RECENT REPORTS outlook of the nuclear industry, by Mr Christian Bataille and Mr Claude Birraux, Deputies, and Mr Bruno Sido, Senator. National Assembly report 3614 (13th legislature), Senate report Prospects for change in civil aviation: