| Type of parliamentary body |
Specialized |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Seimas
|
| Date of creation |
1990 |
| Last renewal date |
January 2009 |
| Mandate |
The Committee on Human Rights is competent (a) to prepare and consider draft laws and other legal acts, (b) to make proposals on issues related to civil rights guarantees and the regulation of relations between the nationalities living in Lithuania, (c) to present recommendations and proposals to ministries, State institutions, and other organisations, as well as to the Seimas (Parliament) committees on issues concerning the protection of civil rights and the improvement of relations between the nationalities, (d) to submit proposals concerning the structure, staff and funding of the Seimas ombudsmen institution, (e) to consider complaints, opinions and proposals referred to the Seimas concerning the work of the Seimas ombudsmen, (f) to prepare a draft resolution on a vote of no-confidence in the Seimas ombudsman, if appropriate, and to submit it to the Seimas for consideration, (g) to submit to the Seimas conclusions regarding the draft resolutions which are prepared by other committees, (h) to consider the material submitted by the Seimas ombudsman concerning a breach of law by ministers and other officers answerable to the Seimas and submit its conclusions to the Seimas for consideration, (i) to consider and prepare drafts of laws and other legal acts relating to the affairs of Lithuanians residing abroad, (j) and to exercise parliamentary control of the institutions which have responsibilities pertaining to the protection of human rights. |
| Membership |
The Committee is made up of seven members. The parliamentary groups, taking into consideration the interest and competence of their members, recommend to the Committee as many members as there are seats given to them. The composition of the Committee is approved by the Seimas by voting on the entire list of committee members and their substitutes. In the event of failure to approve the list, the entire procedure is repeated. The Seimas members are elected for a four-year term. |
| Working methods |
The Committee is responsible and accountable to the Seimas. It discusses and presents conclusions on the matters referred to it for consideration and performs other tasks assigned to it by the Seimas. It is responsible for judging whether there is a need for specific laws and other legal acts, to initiate their preparation, if appropriate, and to obtain opinions on the draft texts. The Committee works 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 specify the persons responsible for implementation and the time-limits which apply. Work plans of the committees and agendas of meetings are publicly announced and submitted to the Chairman and the Chancellor of the Seimas. The activities of the Committee are co-ordinated by the Seimas Chair and its Board in accordance with the work programmes of Seimas sessions and the work plans of the committees. In order to prepare issues for consideration, committees may form preparatory working groups from among their members. These groups may include other Seimas Members with their consent, as well as representatives of State institutions, parties and public organisations, experts and scientists. The Committee may invite to its meetings other Seimas Members, members of municipal councils, representatives of ministries, other State institutions, parties, public organisations, educational institutions, specialists, scientists and other competent persons, following consultations with the heads of the concerned institutions or organisations. The Committee meetings are generally open to representatives of the mass media, but the Committee may decide to meet in camera. Following each committee meeting, a report is prepared for the Seimas Press Service, in which the discussions and the decisions adopted are summarised. The Committee may organise special meetings for the preliminary discussion of a draft law and proposals and amendments submitted when the Committee carries out parliamentary scrutiny, and for the discussion of draft conclusions concerning the issue under consideration. Experts, representatives of interested institutions and groups of the population, and persons competent to propose legislation shall participate in meetings of the Committee at which the proposals and amendments concerning the draft law under consideration are discussed. A calendar of meetings is publicly announced and transmitted to the Chairman and the Chancellor of the Seimas. Committee decisions are adopted by open, simple majority vote of the members participating in the meeting. In the event of a tie vote, the vote of the Chair shall be decisive. When a Committee member requests a vote on his/her proposal, the Committee chair must put the proposal to a vote. If the minority, which consists of at least three Seimas Members, expresses a separate opinion concerning the issue discussed by the Committee, this opinion must be announced together with the decision of the Committee. Committee decisions and conclusions are presented to the Seimas in writing. Committees send their recommendations, proposals and decisions to the State institutions concerned, and inform the Chancellor of the Seimas and, if necessary the government accordingly. For State institutions, the decisions adopted by the committees are recommendations. Upon receipt of recommendations and proposals of the Seimas committees, the State institutions, except courts, must consider them. The committees must be informed about the results of such consideration and the measures which have been taken. The committee prepares conclusions and reports during the Seimas sittings on issues which it considered, or in respect of which it exercised parliamentary scrutiny; it prepares additional conclusions and reports on the issues which were referred to the committee for further examination. The Committee's conclusions include a comprehensive description of its discussions. They contain information on the proposals and amendments received during the discussion, the experts who took part, the amendments to the draft proposed by the committee or the conclusions of the committee on the issue considered. The Bureau of the Seimas establishes the requirements for the committee's conclusions and the form thereof. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
In discussing issues within their competence, all committees have equal rights and obligations. Issues which are within the competence of several committees may be prepared and discussed by the committees jointly on their own initiative or following an instruction of the Seimas or its Board. For this purpose, they may set up joint working groups and hold joint committee meetings presided over successively by the Chair of these committees. The Committee has the right to submit a proposal to the Seimas or the Seimas Board concerning the transfer of the issues under discussion to another committee for consideration. The Committee may also present its opinion on an issue discussed by another committee, or ask another committee to present its conclusions, which must be submitted within 15 days. In the consideration of a draft law, the additional committee appointed by the Seimas must present its conclusions to the committee in charge and the Seimas. Decisions shall be adopted in joint meetings of several committees, if each committee agrees. |
| Relations with external bodies |
The Committee considers the programmes of activities of the government or other State institutions, each within its specific field, and submits its conclusions to the Seimas. It considers, within the limits of its competence, candidates for the heads of State institutions who are appointed by the Seimas or those for which the approval of the Seimas is necessary, as well as candidates for deputy heads, and considers the dismissal from office of these officials. The Committee, while performing parliamentary supervision, receives information and reports from ministries and other State institutions on the manner in which the laws of the Republic of Lithuania and other acts passed by the Seimas are being implemented. On its own initiative or on the advice of the Seimas, the Committee considers yearly reports on the activities of the State institutions accountable to the Seimas, and presents its conclusions to the Seimas. The Committees is entitled to ask State institutions, except courts, to furnish documents and reports. The Committee considers the material submitted by the Seimas Ombudsman concerning a breach of law by ministers and other officials answerable to the Seimas, and submits its conclusions to the Seimas for consideration. The Committee shall exercise parliamentary control of institutions concerned with the protection of human and civil rights. |
| Subjects dealt with |
Laws on citizenship, ethnic minorities, and the rights of patients, refugees and migration policy, rights of consumers. |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
53 Gedimino Avenue
LT - 01109 VILNIUS 2
|
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
+ 370 5 239 64 99 |
| E-mail |
zmteiskt@lrs.lt |
| Website |
http://www.lrs.lt
|
|
|
|
PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
|
| Name |
Mr. Arminas Lydeka |
| Notes |
Chairman |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+370 5 239 67 36 |
| Fax |
... |
| E-mail |
Arminas.Lydeka@lrs.lt |
| Website |
...
|
|
SECRETARY
|
| Name |
Ms. Jolanta Savickiene |
| Notes |
Head of the Office |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+370 5 239 68 08 |
| Fax |
+370 5 239 64 99 |
| E-mail |
josavi@lrs.lt |
| web site: |
...
|
| Notes |
|
| Name |
Ms. Rüta Ragaliauskienè |
| Notes |
Adviser |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+370 5 239 68 21 |
| Fax |
+370 5 239 64 99 |
| E-mail |
ruraga@lrs.lt |
| web site: |
...
|
| Notes |
|
|
