英国议会质询在监督英政府对伊战争中的作用

质询是英国议会首创的产物。作为英国议会监督政府的主要手段之一,质询以其经常、直接、公开而有效的特征一直格外引人注目,也使之为世界上许多议会制国家所仿效。2003年伊拉克战争前后英国质询制的实际运用过程说明,质询使议员能比较充分地了解政府的情况,敦促政府行动,督促政府官员知政勤政,体现和维护了议会对政府的监督地位和权威。然而,质询无论就其规则和程序,还是其实际作用,都有其局限性。

The Role of Parliamentary Enquiry in Supervising UK Participation in the Iraqi War

Parliamentary question is British creation. It is frequently conducted, accessible to the general public, it is therefore an effective means of supervising the operations of the British government. Many countries where parliaments are functioning have followed the British example. The proceedings of such question before and after the Iraqi War in 2003 proved that this practice allowed the parliamentary members to fully learn about what the government was doing, to push the government to take action, to urge government functionaries to work hard, thus assuring the authority and supervisory role of the parliament over the government. However, parliamentary question is not without limitations with respect to its rules and procedures and function.