The Ripper
04-27-2011, 01:10 PM
Halla-aho to chair committee responsible for immigration legislation
It was not easy for True Finns chairman Timo Soini to hide his satisfaction on Tuesday, when the new Parliament agreed on the distribution of top positions on Parliamentary committees.
The True Finns will chair the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Administrative committees. This means that in addition foreign affairs and defence, the party will have a key position in the processing of legislation affecting the police, municipalities, and immigration issues.
In what could prove to be a controversial move, the Administrative Committee is to be chaired by outspoken immigration critic Jussi Halla-aho, unless he gets a ministerial portfolio in the upcoming government formation talks. True Finns party chairman Timo Soini said that Halla-aho’s landslide victory in the elections entitles him to the post.
Much of the work of the Finnish Parliament takes place in the committees. Parliament has 16 committees, each of which convene once or twice a week.
The task of the committees is to draw up memorandums and statements on legislative proposals put forward by the government.
Usually a Parliamentary committee will hear from experts and then put out an opinion of its own.
The allocation of leading positions in the committees is in proportion to the number of seats that a party won in the elections.
As the largest group in Parliament, the National Coalition Party got first choice of committees. It took the Finance Committee.
The next choice was with the Social Democratic Party, which took the Constitutional Law committee. This was a major shift, as chairmanship of the committee has been in the hands of the National Coalition Party since the 1930s.
The SDP’s second choice was the Grand Committee, which deals with matters related to the European Union.
The Grand Committee has usually been chaired by a representative of the opposition, but now the SDP may join the government. Having a government MP as the chair of the Grand Committee would make the work of the government somewhat easier.
The most important post for the Centre Party is the Social Affairs and Health Committee. This means that the party will have a good vantage point if the new government moves forward in reforms to the structure and financing of health care.
For the National Coalition Party, the Finance Committee and the Education Committee are backup for a possible situation in which the corresponding government ministries would go to other parties when government seats are allocated.
The Green League and the Left Alliance each got one committee to lead, while the Swedish People’s Party and the Christian Democrats did not get any.
HS (http://www.hs.fi/english/article/True+Finns+to+chair+key+Parliamentary+committees/1135265683713)
It was not easy for True Finns chairman Timo Soini to hide his satisfaction on Tuesday, when the new Parliament agreed on the distribution of top positions on Parliamentary committees.
The True Finns will chair the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Administrative committees. This means that in addition foreign affairs and defence, the party will have a key position in the processing of legislation affecting the police, municipalities, and immigration issues.
In what could prove to be a controversial move, the Administrative Committee is to be chaired by outspoken immigration critic Jussi Halla-aho, unless he gets a ministerial portfolio in the upcoming government formation talks. True Finns party chairman Timo Soini said that Halla-aho’s landslide victory in the elections entitles him to the post.
Much of the work of the Finnish Parliament takes place in the committees. Parliament has 16 committees, each of which convene once or twice a week.
The task of the committees is to draw up memorandums and statements on legislative proposals put forward by the government.
Usually a Parliamentary committee will hear from experts and then put out an opinion of its own.
The allocation of leading positions in the committees is in proportion to the number of seats that a party won in the elections.
As the largest group in Parliament, the National Coalition Party got first choice of committees. It took the Finance Committee.
The next choice was with the Social Democratic Party, which took the Constitutional Law committee. This was a major shift, as chairmanship of the committee has been in the hands of the National Coalition Party since the 1930s.
The SDP’s second choice was the Grand Committee, which deals with matters related to the European Union.
The Grand Committee has usually been chaired by a representative of the opposition, but now the SDP may join the government. Having a government MP as the chair of the Grand Committee would make the work of the government somewhat easier.
The most important post for the Centre Party is the Social Affairs and Health Committee. This means that the party will have a good vantage point if the new government moves forward in reforms to the structure and financing of health care.
For the National Coalition Party, the Finance Committee and the Education Committee are backup for a possible situation in which the corresponding government ministries would go to other parties when government seats are allocated.
The Green League and the Left Alliance each got one committee to lead, while the Swedish People’s Party and the Christian Democrats did not get any.
HS (http://www.hs.fi/english/article/True+Finns+to+chair+key+Parliamentary+committees/1135265683713)