Assisting Italian MPs in Pre-Legislative Scrutiny: The Role Played by Chambers' Counsellors and Legislative Advisors in Enhancing the Knowledge and Skills Development of Italian MPs: The Assistance Offered to an Autonomous Collection of Information

This article analyses the assistance provided to Italian Members of Parliament (MPs) both by officers of the parliamentary administrations and their own staff in order to enhance their autonomy in selecting the information to be used in pre-legislative scrutiny. A focus has been directed on the committee stage, where the role of the individual MP is much more relevant than in plenary sessions, and the selection and collection of informative sources are crucial. The aim is to underline how the contribution of parliamentary officers and MPs' staff can be of great help in the construction of a well informed and thoroughly thought through legislative decision that is also stable over time and politically strong. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]