The Democracy Research Institute analyzed the content of the questions sent by Members of Parliament to the agencies of the security sector (Ministry of Defence, Ministry Internal Affairs of Georgia, State Security Service and its subdivisions) and the answers received from January 1 to March 15, 2024. The organization used the public information posted on the website of the Parliament. During two and a half months, a total of 13 written questions were sent to the State Security Service, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Of these, one question has not been answered. 12 written questions belong to the parliamentary opposition. In the reporting period, only one member of the majority sent a question to the agencies of the security sector. Not a single question has been sent to the State Security Service from the Parliament of Georgia.

The majority of parliamentary questions - 12 questions were sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A large number of MPs requested statistical information. This is logical, since it is the Ministry of Internal Affairs that produces statistics on both crimes and border crossing. However, the effectiveness of the content of parliamentary oversight would be improved, if the MPs’ questions better covered various directions of the agency's activities, the results of the activities and the identification of the causes of alleged problems.

In the period from January 1 - March 15, 2024, only one written question was sent to the Ministry of Defence. The question was related to the information about the annual expenses of the Deputy Minister. Sending only one question to the Ministry of Defence during the two and a half months of the parliamentary session indicates that parliamentary oversight of the security sector is passive.

In the reporting period, Members of Parliament did not send a single question to the State Security Service. Over the years, the State Security Service has developed into one of the most closed and undemocratic agencies. Taking the above into account, non-use of the oversight mechanism by Members of Parliament makes democratic control of the State Security Service even more difficult.

DRI: The number of questions sent by Members of Parliament to the security sector is still low in 2024