Institutional context
Part of the Parliamentary Services, the PCA is administratively subordinated to the secretariat of the CC.
The PCA carries out its scientific activities independently. It works on the basis of mandates on behalf of parliamentary committees.
The PCA bases its methods on the standards set by the Swiss Evaluation Society and international associations which specialise in that area. It coordinates its activities with those of other federal controlling bodies and is in regular contact with universities, private research institutes as well as Swiss and foreign public evaluation bodies.
Legal bases and rights to inform
The legal bases of the PCA are set out in the Parliament Act (ParlA) and the Federal Assembly ordinance (FAO). In particular, article 67 and 153 of the ParlA and article 10 of the FAO provide the PCA with substantial rights to information:
- The PCA deals directly with all federal authorities, public agencies and other bodies entrusted with tasks by the Confederation and may request from them all relevant documentation and information,
- the principle of professional confidentiality does not restrict the authorities’ obligation to provide information,
- the PCA may call on the services of experts outside the federal administration, who are therefore granted the necessary rights,
- it protects its sources of information and ensures confidentiality with regard to the results of its evaluations until the publication of the report in question is decided by the committees.