SELECT COMMITTEE BUSINESS

From 6 April to 12 April 2001

Committee meetings

There were six committee meetings, one of which was outside Wellington. The remainder were in the parliamentary complex.

Reports presented (15)

Health

- 1999/2000 financial review of Northland Health Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Good Health Wanganui Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Lakeland Health Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of MidCentral Health Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Auckland Healthcare Services Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Coast Health Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Southern Health Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of Taranaki Healthcare Limited

Primary Production

- 1999/2000 financial review of AgriQuality New Zealand Limited

- 1999/2000 financial review of ASURE New Zealand Limited

Government Administration

- 1999/2000 financial review of the Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure

Maori Affairs

- Inquiry into the performance and current operations of the Maori Trustee

- Tutae-Ka-Wetoweto Forest Bill (68-2)

Regulations Review

- Complaints relating to the Survey (Departmental Fees and Charges) Regulations 1998 and the Survey Regulations 1998 (I. 16D)

Education and Science

- Educational Establishments (Exemption from Certain Rates) Bill (292-2)

Bills referred to select committees

No bills were referred.

Committee notes

(for further information on an item, please contact the committee staff noted in brackets)

Education and Science (Louise Gardiner, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee did not meet this week. It will next meet on Thursday, 3 May, when it will conduct a hearing on the 1999/2000 financial review of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. The meeting will be open to the public.

On Wednesday, 11 April, the committee presented its report on the Educational Establishments (Exemption From Certain Rates) Bill. This bill, a member’s bill in the name of Hon Brian Donnelly, was introduced in 1999. It seeks to give relief to qualifying education institutions from the need to pay local authority sewage disposal rates. The committee believes the bill addresses the issue of the wide variety of formulae by which local authorities have charged schools for sewerage services. The committee recommends the implementation of a requirement for local authorities to reduce by 80 percent any sewage disposal rate on separately rateable property occupied for the purposes of education. The 80 percent discount reflects the fact that the property for schools is only occupied for one-fifth of the year. The bill is intended as an interim measure, pending the completion of the Local Government Funding Powers Review.

On Friday, 6 April, the committee presented its report on the 1999/2000 financial review of Early Childhood Development (ECD). In the report the committee notes the organisational difficulties faced by the roll-out of the Family Start programme, and recommends closer government scrutiny of complex co-operative arrangements to maintain a high level of accountability for public funds. The committee also recommends that ultimate responsibility for Family Start be clearly delineated so that whichever institution vested with this authority is accountable for its success or failure. With regard to the Parents As First Teachers (PAFT) programme, which is under the aegis of Family Start, the committee recommends funding be provided to the appropriate agency to conduct vital research to determine the effectiveness of this and other programmes. In addition, the committee stresses the importance of ECD clearly determining the level of demand for the PAFT programme within communities, to ascertain the appropriate scale and distribution of its services.

Finance and Expenditure (Matthew Andrews, SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee will meet in Auckland on 20 April to hear submissions on the New Zealand Superannuation Bill. The hearing will be held in the Fergusson Room, Copthorne Hotel, Anzac Avenue, Auckland, and will be open to the public from approximately 10.00 am.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (David Sanders, SC-FD@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met this week to hear submissions on the International Treaties Bill. The committee is not scheduled to meet again until the House resumes in May.

Health (Kia Paranihi, SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee has extended the closing date for submissions on the Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Bill to Monday 2 July. This decision was made to accommodate submissions on a Supplementary Order Paper, which is expected when the House resumes. “The committee wants to ensure that submitters have sufficient time to prepare submissions to the amendment, as well as the bill as introduced,” said Chairperson, Judy Keall. Mrs Keall said that after the Supplementary Order Paper is available, the committee would place a further advertisement in newspapers calling for submissions.

Thirty-six submissions have been received on the Medical Practitioners (Foreign Qualified Medical Practitioners) Amendment Bill with all but four wishing to present oral evidence to the committee. The committee will consider its programme of business and identify dates for hearings after the Easter adjournment period.

Justice and Electoral (Wendy Proffitt, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee considered the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Bill, the Local Electoral Bill and the Prostitution Reform Bill.

At its next meeting on Thursday, 26 April, the committee will meet all day to consider the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Bill, the Local Electoral Bill and the Local Elections (Single Transferable Vote Option) Bill. The committee is required to report on all these bills to the House in early May. It will also consider the inquiry into the 1999 General Election and commence hearings on the Prostitution Reform Bill that day.

Please contact the Clerk of the Committee for further information about the committee’s meetings for the next month.

Maori Affairs (Marcus Ganley, SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee reported of its inquiry into the performance and current operations of the Maori Trustee. This report can be found on the Office of the Clerk website at http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/publications/index.html. Also presented this week was the Tutae-Ka-Wetoweto Forest Bill.

The committee’s next meeting will be on 3 May 2001.

MMP Review (Louise Sparrer, SC-MMP@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee is not meeting over the adjournment. Its next meeting is scheduled for 9 May.

Primary Production (Bob Bunch, SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)

On Thursday, 12 April, the committee held hearings in Taupo on its inquiry into sustainable forestry management. There will be no committee meeting next week, but the committee meets again on Thursday, 26 April.

Regulations Review (Fiona McLean, SC-RR@parliament.govt.nz )

The committee did not meet this week.

The committee presented a report on 10 April on complaints relating to Survey (Departmental Fees and Charges) Regulations 1998 and Survey Regulations 1998. The committee found that the Survey (Departmental Fees and Charges) Regulations 1998 are not in accordance with Standing Orders 382(c) and (i), in that they make unusual or unexpected use of the regulation-making powers in the Survey Act 1986 and in that they call for elucidation. These regulations are administered by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

Regulation 4 of the Survey (Departmental Fees and Charges) Regulations 1998 provides for two scales of survey plan examination to be undertaken by LINZ: a standard examination and a limited examination. A lesser fee applies to a limited plan examination than to a standard plan examination. LINZ currently administers the two scales of plan examination on the basis of an accreditation system that it offers to registered surveyors. Accredited surveyors have their plans examined by the department as limited examinations, as defined in regulation 4, whilst all non-accredited surveyors are required to submit their plans for a standard examination. Therefore, a higher fee is charged for the examination of work completed by a non-accredited surveyor than for the examination of work completed by an accredited surveyor.

The committee has a number of concerns about the regulations and the accreditation system. The committee recommended to the Government that it:

- review the relevant legislation to determine whether regulation 4 and Part 4 of the Schedule to the Survey (Departmental Fees and Charges) Regulations 1998 are an appropriate mechanism to implement the accreditation system

- review regulation 4 and Part 4 of the Schedule to determine whether it should be more transparent that the accreditation status of the surveyor determines whether a standard or limited examination is required and the associated fee

- review the regulations to clarify whether an accredited surveyor may submit a plan for a standard examination

- review the relevant legislation to determine whether matters such as publication of the rules relating to accreditation, criteria for accreditation, powers of revocation and duties owed by the Chief Surveyor and accredited surveyors should be included in regulations.

The report is available from Bennetts Government Bookshops. The reference number is I. 16D.

Transport and Industrial Relations (Lyn Main, SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee completed the hearing of evidence on the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill (No 2) on Wednesday. The committee is required to report the bill back to the House by 25 May 2001.

The committee is hearing evidence on the 1999/2000 financial review of the Civil Aviation Authority from 2.30 pm on Wednesday, 18 April.

Closing dates for submissions

Committees are receiving submissions on the following items with the closing date shown:

Commerce

Supplementary Order Paper No 123 relating to the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Bill (20 April 2001)

Education and Science

Supplementary Order Paper 133, relating to the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) (14 May 2001)

Finance and Expenditure

New Zealand Stock Exchange Restructuring Bill (2 May 2001)

Taxation (Annual Rates, Taxpayer Assessment and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill (11 May 2001)

Government Administration

Inquiry into the operation of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (4 May 2001)

Dog Control (Hearing Dogs) Amendment Bill is Friday (4 May 2001)

Health

Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Bill (23 April 2001)

Justice and Electoral

Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) (30 April 2001)

Law and Order

Criminal Investigations (Blood Samples ¡V Burglary Suspects) Amendment Bill (30 June 2001)

General

You can find further information about select committees on our website at www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz. If you require additional information or have any feedback on the contents, please contact:

Carol Rankin

Senior Parliamentary Officer

at carol.rankin@parliament.govt.nz

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 12 April 2001

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