Diputación Permanente
Spanish standing committee that acts for a dissolved Congress.
Article 78 of Spain's 1978 Constitution preserves specified parliamentary powers through standing committees. The Diputación Permanente covered here belongs to Congress and can handle decree-law validation when the chamber is dissolved.
Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who can validate housing decree-laws while Spain's Congress is dissolved?
Timeline for Diputación Permanente
Took over validation of RDL 28 and RDL 29
Nomads & Communities: Spain lets towns tax tourist-flat ownersBackground
The Diputación Permanente covered here is the standing committee of Spain's Congress of Deputies. Its constitutional purpose is to preserve specified powers when the chamber is not meeting, has been dissolved or has reached the end of its mandate. The Speaker chairs it, and parliamentary groups are represented in proportion to their strength.
During dissolution, the committee assumes the decree-law and emergency powers assigned through Articles 78, 86 and 116 of the Constitution. It continues until the new chamber assembles, providing a route for decisions that cannot wait for the next Parliament. This authority is limited: the committee does not replace every function of Congress or of the bicameral Cortes Generales. The Senate has its own standing committee. A decision attributed to one must not be treated as a decision by the other.
Reference
What is the distinction between the Congress and Senate standing committees?
What can Congress's Diputación Permanente do after dissolution?
How many members does Congress's standing committee have?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 October 2026. Editorial standards.