The financing arrangements for a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CEP) were at the heart of a first long debate on Tuesday at the Grand Council of Vaud. After two hours of discussions, the deputies decided to give the Bureau of Parliament the competence to grant the financing necessary for the operation of a CEP and not directly to the plenum.
It was the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the Riviera-Chablais Hospital (CEP-HRC), established in March 2021 in the context of the financial difficulties of the Rennaz establishment, which recommended a change. His wish followed resistance encountered during his year of work, in particular interference from the Finance Commission (COFIN) and probably from the head of the Finance Department at the time, Pascal Broulis.
COFIN had, in fact, asked to reduce by 38% the budget presented by this CEP-HRC, which amounted to around 850,000 francs in total. Discussions and exchanges around the budget had delayed the start of the CEP’s work by five weeks, even though Vaud law clearly stipulates that it is up to the CEP to determine the means it needs to carry out its mandate.
Therefore, COFIN itself proposed its solution for a reform of the financing methods of a CEP. His motion, defended by the PLR Gérard Mojon and taken into immediate consideration in June 2023, suggests that the financial envelope must be decided directly by the Grand Council at the same time as it decides the mandate of a CEP. But she wants the Council of State to be consulted and for COFIN to draw up a written notice before the debates at the plenum.
Counter-project
The Thematic Commission on Institutions and Political Rights (CIDROPOL) responsible for examining this reform was not convinced by the motion, in contradiction with the independence of the CEPs, according to it. She therefore put forward a counter-proposal to the text.
CIDROPOL believes that “the most effective way to avoid the turbulence that we experienced in the case of the CEP-HRC is to create a legal basis giving the Office of the Grand Council the competence to grant the financing necessary for the operation of “a CEP without possible interference from other commissions of the Grand Council and the Council of State”. However, it is not opposed to a simple technical notice from COFIN to the Bureau.
After more than two hours of discussions, both technical and also on the autonomy of the CEPs, on the separation of powers, on the speed of the need for financial resources or on the duty of supervision of COFIN, the deputies favored first debates the solution recommended by CIDROPOL.
The left and the liberal Greens overwhelmingly supported the counter-project while the right, especially the PLR, appeared very divided. It was accepted by 73 yes, 51 no and a few abstentions. A second debate will be necessary.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
