The International Cooperation Group

Publications

NATIONAL SURVEY OF LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING SERVICES

2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ORGANISATION

• Reporting relationship
• Types of instruments
• Relationship to Parliament

PERSONNEL

• Staff and reporting structure
• Qualifications of drafters
• Qualifications of language specialists
• Employment details
• Participation in exchanges, secondments
• Continuing legal and professional training

DRAFTING PROCESS

• Drafting of statutes and regulations
• Assignment of files
• Seniority or greater experience
• Special files
• High-volume departments
• Instructing officers
• Involvement of outside consultants in the drafting process
• Drafting instructions
• Speculative drafting
• Degree of detail of drafting instructions
• Policy role of legislative drafters
• Responsibility for quality control
• Coordination of drafting activities within office
• Functioning of the process
• Regulatory review
• Drafting from instructions or review
• Bilingual jurisdiction
• Drafting of both versions
• Printing, publishing and distribution
• Subscriptions to statute publications
• Role of the drafter after the bill has gone to print
• Periodic review

WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT

• Number of files
• Number of legislation files and regulation files
• Number of files being drafted at a time
• Seasonal or sessional variations in the workload
• Priority of legislation over regulations
• Temporary (contractual) arrangements to deal with unexpected volume increases

WORK INSTRUMENTS

• Use of computers and inputting
• Electronic availability of statutes and regulations
• Updating of databases
• Drafting work tools
• Development and communication of drafting tools