ABSTRACT
Any discussion of parliamentary administrations in Belgium is inevitably interwoven with the complex state structure in which these administrations are functioning. Linked with the absence of solid scholarship on Belgian parliamentary administrations – as is the case for parliamentary administrations in general – this forces people to make choices. This chapter focuses on the federal parliament. It concentrates on the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, and its administration and focuses on political-administrative relations. The House of Representatives and the Senate have a bicameral Parliamentary Committee for Post-Legislative Scrutiny, composed of 11 House MPs and 11 Senators. This is a parliamentary, political committee. The supportive role of the administration is also reflected in the House's external relations. Staff officials are involved in the organization, preparation, and secretariat of numerous parliamentary diplomatic events in parliament's premises in Brussels and abroad.
