Article 8 of the NIHR Act provides that the Institute must publish its annual report and recommendations and that the Minister concerned must give the Institute the opportunity to discuss with him the investigations, reports, recommendations and advice. In line with the parliamentary motion adopted in 2011 (Parliamentary papers II, 2010/11, 32467, no. 20) in the context of the establishment of the Institute, the government is obliged to send a formal reaction to the Institute’s report to parliament within 60 days of receiving the report. 

The SCA considers it important that the enabling law establishes a process whereby the NHRI’s reports are required to be publicly circulated, tabled, discussed and considered by the legislature. 

The SCA encourages the NIHR to advocate for the appropriate amendment to its enabling law to ensure a process through which the Parliament discusses and considers its reports. 

The SCA refers to Paris Principle A.3 and to its General Observation 1.11 on ‘Annual reports of NHRIs’.