SELECT COMMITTEE BUSINESS

From 25 May to 1 June 2001

Committee meetings

There were seven committee meetings this week, all in the parliamentary complex.

Reports presented (4)

Local Government and Environment Committee

- Petition 1996/1628 of Rosemary Godwin and others

Government Administration Committee

- Cigarettes (Fire Safety) Bill (80-1)

- Civil Defence Emergency Management Bill (79-2)

Finance and Expenditure Committee

Public Trust Bill (92-2)

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)

Commerce (Alan Witcombe, SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee met on Thursday, 31 May to further consider the Electronic Transactions Bill. The report deadline for the bill is 21 June. The committee also considered the New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Amendment Bill, and heard submissions on the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Bill.

Next week the committee will meet on Thursday, 14 June to consider the Electronic Transactions Bill, and the Charted Professional Engineers of New Zealand Bill.

Finance and Expenditure (Julian Kersey, SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee reported to the House on the Public Trust Bill. The bill provides for the modernisation of the Public Trust Office. The committee had noted during financial review examinations of the Public Trust Office that the organisation has been limited by legislative constraints. The committee considers that the legislation will allow the Public Trust sufficient flexibility to operate in a changing environment.

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

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee will travel to Canberra and Sydney from 5 to 8 June. The committee is participating in the inter-parliamentary exchange with the Australian Parliament and will also be having a number of meetings in relation to its inquiry into New Zealand's economic and trade relationship with Australia.

Government Administration (Lesley Ferguson, SC-GA@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee has reported back to the House the Civil Defence Emergency Management Bill. The bill updates and redefines the duties of central and local government in regard to civil defence emergency management. It also sets out certain powers in relation to civil defence emergency management, and prescribes offence penalty provisions consistent with the seriousness of emergency management. Provisions of paying compensation to persons affected by any civil defence emergency are also contained in the bill.

The committee has also reported to the House the Cigarettes (Fire Safety) Bill, a Member’s bill in the name of Grant Gillon, with the recommendation that the bill not proceed. The committee agrees with the intent of the bill to promulgate a fire safety standard for cigarettes to reduce the risk of ignition presented by cigarettes. However, it considers the objectives of the bill would be more appropriately dealt with by alternative means.

The main committee will not meet next week. However a subcommittee formed to consider the Summit Road (Canterbury) Protection Bill will to hear evidence from the Summit Road Protection Authority on Friday, 8 June 2001 at the Millennium Hotel, in Christchurch from 10.30 am. The meeting will be open to the public.

Health (Matthew Andrews, SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)

The Health Committee met on Wednesday, 30 May and began hearing submissions on its inquiry into health strategies related to cannabis use. Submissions were heard from both individuals and organisations.

The committee will continue to hear submissions on Wednesday, 6th June.

This meeting will be open to the public from 10.00 am onwards and will be held in room G.005 in the Select Committee rooms, Parliament Buildings.

The terms of reference for this inquiry are:

- To inquire into the most effective public health and health promotion strategies to minimise the use of and the harm associated with cannabis and consequently the most appropriate legal status of cannabis.

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

The committee did not meet this week. Next week it will hear the remaining submissions on the Victims’ Rights Bill and Supplementary Order Paper No 112, and continue hearing submissions on the Prostitution Reform Bill. It will also consider the 2001/2002 Estimates, the Clean Slate Bill, the Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Inquiry into the 1999 General Election. Please note that the committee has not yet called for submissions on the Clean Slate Bill.

For the rest of the month the committee will be focussing on the 2001/2002 Estimates for Votes Justice, Attorney-General and Treaty Negotiations and its consideration of the Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) and the Inquiry into the 1999 General Election.

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

Law and Order (Tracey Rayner, SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Friday, 1 June to consider the 2000/2000 Estimates, the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 6) and Supplementary Order Paper No 85, and several petitions. The committee is still receiving submissions on the Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Bill and the Criminal Investigations (Blood Samples - Burglary Suspects) Amendment Bill. The closing date for submissions on both bills is 30 June 2001.

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

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

The Primary Production Committee met on Thursday, 31 May. It considered the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Amendment Bill, a Member's Bill in the name of Nandor Tanczos. With the Examination of the Estimates for 2001/02 about to commence, the committee also considered Votes Agriculture and Forestry and Biosecurity. The last matter on the meeting's agenda was consideration of the 1999/2000 Financial Review of Terralink Limited.

Next week the committee travels to the West Coast of the South Island to hear evidence and to conduct a site visit on its inquiry into sustainable forestry management. The committee will be holding hearings at the O’Connor Room at the Southland Hotel, Hokitika, on 6 June, from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm; and on 7 June, from 3.00 pm to 5.40 pm and 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. The site visit will be to Inchbonne on the morning of 7 June 2001.

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

On 31 May, the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee completed hearing evidence on the Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Bill, which is the second phase of the Government's accident and injury prevention strategy. The committee is required to report to the House by 25 July.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Commerce

Telecommunications Bill (13 June 2001)

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Terrorism (Bombing and Financing) Bill (13 July 2001)

Law and Order

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

Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Bill (30 June 2001)

Local Government and Environment

Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Amendment Bill (1 June 2001)

Social Services

Social Security (Residence of Spouses) Amendment Bill (4 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:

Shelley Banks

Senior Parliamentary Officer

shelley.banks@parliament.govt.nz

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 1 June 2001

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