Press Release
Clerk Of The House

SELECT COMMITTEE BUSINESS

6 August 1999 to 13 August 1999

Committee meetings

There were 11 meetings, including one in progress in Christchurch. The other 10 were all held in the parliamentary complex.

Reports presented (4)

Internal Affairs and Local Government

Napier Borough Endowments Amendment Bill (171-2)

Government Administration

Courts Security Bill (301-2)

Health

Petition 1996/1948 of Chris Carter and 719 others

Transport and Environment

Transport Accident Investigation Amendment Bill (252-2)

Bills referred to select committees

No bills were referred.

Committee notes

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

Commerce (Clare Sullivan, Louise Foley)

The committee met on 11 August and set a closing date of Friday, 17 September for submissions on Supplementary Order Paper (No. 203) relating to the Commerce Amendment Bill. This has not been referred to the committee by the House but the Minister has asked the committee to consider it with the bill. The Supplementary Order Paper introduces three measures to increase the effectiveness of the Commerce Act 1986. It recommends amendments to sections 36 and 47 (among others) of the Act. It also empowers the

Committee on the Bills (Bob Bunch)

The committee met twice this week to start hearings on the three bills restructuring the dairy, kiwifruit, and apple and pear industries. Twenty-four submissions were heard. Submissions close today but these early hearings have given the committee a head start in its efforts to meet its reporting deadline of 30 August.

Education and Science (Graham Hill, Tim Cooper)

At the next meeting on 26 August the committee will consider the Educational Establishments (Exemption from Certain Rates) Bill.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (David Sanders, Malcolm McNamara)

The committee continued work on three inquiries and the review of the international treaty examination process.

Internal Affairs and Local Government (Kia Paranihi, Fiona McLean)

The committee will meet on Thursday, 19 August to hear submissions on the Local Government Law Reform Bill (No.2) and the Hawke's Bay Regional Council (Surplus Funds Distribution) Empowering Bill.

The committee will convene for the whole day dealing largely with submissions on the Local Government Law Reform Bill (No.2). Submissions to be heard are mostly representative of dog breeders, territorial authorities and public health bodies. The bill has a very short reporting period, being due back in the House on 31 August 1999.

Justice and Law Reform (Jayne Wallis, Tracey Conlon)

The committee will meet next Wednesday and hear evidence on the petition of AR and LM Randall from the Police and the Ministry of Education. This petition requests that the definition of a young person be lowered from 14 to 12 years of age and that measures also be adopted to ensure reparation takes place for victims of under-14-year-old offenders.

The committee will also continue work on a number of bills, petitions and its inquiry into Card and INCIS.

Transport and Environment (David Bagnall, Karen Smyth)

The committee heard evidence on the Forests Amendment Bill, which relates to the logging and management of indigenous forest, particularly on certain "SILNA" lands and in areas covered by the West Coast Accord. The committee met in Wellington on Wednesday and Christchurch on Friday to hear submissions, and further hearings will be held in Wellington on Wednesday next week (18 August).

The committee presented its report on the Transport Accident Investigation Amendment Bill on Friday. The committee recommends the bill be passed with amendments. The bill deals with the disclosure of aviation records in criminal or civil proceedings against flight crew.

The committee recommends that recordings or transcripts from airline recording devices, such as cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) or cockpit video recorders, cannot be used in criminal or civil prosecutions against flight crew. This protection reflects many submissions opposed to the bill, which allowed for these records to be disclosed in both criminal and civil proceedings by a High Court disclosure order. In the amended bill records could still be disclosed in some civil proceedings, but not against flig In the case of air traffic control tapes, the committee has recommended amending the bill to remove protection for these records, and so retain the status quo for these tapes. This means the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will continue to have access to this information to enforce airspace rules.

Records generated during the course of an investigation are also protected, and cannot be used in evidence in court proceedings. The committee recommends broadening this provision to apply to marine and rail accidents and incidents that are also investigated by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. The bill retains an aviation focus with the provisions relating to recording devices.

After the commencement of the legislation, proposed new CAA rules would require aircraft operators to install CVRs on any aircraft carrying 10 or more passengers or requiring two or more flight crew.

Closing dates for submissions on bills

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

Committee on the Bills

Apple and Pear Industry Restructuring (13 August 1999)

Dairy Industry Restructuring (13 August 1999)

Kiwifruit Industry Restructuring (13 August 1999)

Health

Alcohol Advisory Council Amendment (13 August 1999)

Internal Affairs and Local Government

Hawke's Bay Regional Council (Surplus Funds Distribution) Empowering (13 August 1999)

Justice and Law Reform

Arms Amendment (No. 2) (17 September 1999)

Transport and Environment

Resource Management Amendment (1 October 1999)

General

You can find further information about select committees on our web site at www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz.

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