Select Committee Business

From 18 July to 25 July 2003

Committee meetings

There were 19 committee meetings, four of which were outside Wellington.

Reports presented

(available at http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Publications/CommitteeReport)

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

- International treaty examination of the Convention establishing an International Organisation of Legal Metrology

Committee notes

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

Commerce (Michelle Malyon, SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Thursday, 24 July to further its consideration of the Status of Redundancy Payments Bill, the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill and the Copyright (Parallel Importation of Films and Onus of Proof) Amendment Bill. The committee also continued to hear evidence on the Consumer Credit Bill. The committee is calling for submissions on the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Act (Abolition of Restrictions) Amendment bill; the closing date is Thursday, 4 September 2003.

The committee will next meet on Thursday, 31 July to further consider the Business Law Reform Bill, the Consumer Credit Bill, the Copyright (Parallel Importation and Onus of Proof) Amendment Bill and the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill.

Education and Science (Angela Van Dam, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Wednesday, 23 July in Wellington, and Thursday, 24 July and Friday, 25 July in Auckland to hear evidence on the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill.

Next week the committee will meet on Wednesday, 30 July to hear further evidence on the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill.

Finance and Expenditure (Peter Hurndell, SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met this week consider the Income Tax Bill, Taxation (Annual Rates, GST, Trans-Tasman Imputation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, and petitions of Neil Leckie and Michael Gibson.

To allow more time for the consideration of issues raised by the Income Tax Bill, the date by which the committee must report to the House has been extended to 19 December 2003.

Submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates, GST, Trans-Tasman Imputation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill are currently being received. The closing date for these is Friday, 15 August 2003. You can get more information at http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/programme/committees/submissions/ and at http://www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/.

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

The committee met this week to further consider the Counter-Terrorism Bill. It also began its consideration of the Immigration Amendment Bill. The committee also made a pro forma report on the international treaty examination of the Convention establishing an International Organisation of Legal Metrology 1955.

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

The committee next meets on Thursday, 31 July between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm at the Auckland War Memorial Museum to hear evidence on the Auckland War Memorial Museum Site Empowering Bill and to undertake a site visit of the museum. This bill is a local bill that would empower the Auckland Museum Trust Board to lease land within the Auckland Domain for the purposes of constructing a new underground car park outside and to the south-east of the existing buildings of the museum.

Health (Catherine Parkin, SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)

This week the committee heard evidence from Medsafe as it continued its inquiry into the proposal to establish a trans-Tasman agency to regulate therapeutic products. It also continued consideration of its inquiry into health strategies relating to cannabis use and of the Health (Screening Programmes) Amendment Bill. The committee will meet next week to further consider both these items of business.

Next Wednesday the committee will receive a briefing from the Ministry of Health on the population-based formula for determining District Health Boards’ funding. This will be from 9.30 am to 10.30 am, in Maui Tikitiki A Taranga, Room G.006, Parliament House, and will be open to the public.

Justice and Electoral (Louise Sparrer, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on 23 July to consider the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Bill, the Clean Slate Bill and the Supreme Court Bill. The committee heard evidence on the Supreme Court Bill by videoconference from Richard Cornes in London, and from Peter Hogg in Canada.

The committee’s next meeting will be on 30 July, when it will continue to consider the Supreme Court Bill and its inquiry into the 2002 General Election.

The committee is calling for submissions on the Care of Children Bill, and has set a closing date of 25 September. The Care of Children Bill is intended to replace the Guardianship Act 1986 and its purpose is to modernise the law about guardianship and care of children. It also amends two Acts that deal with related matters. These are Family Court procedures (Family Proceedings Act 1980) and parental status (Status of Children Act 1969).

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

The committee met this week in Auckland, where it undertook site visits of the Mt Eden and Auckland Central Remand Prisons, and heard from submitters on the Corrections Bill. The committee next meets on 30 July to hear further submissions on the Corrections Bill, and to further consider the Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Bill and the Independent Police Complaints Authority Amendment Bill. The meeting will be open to the public in Room G.002, Parliament House from 10.40 am to 1.00 pm, and 3.30 pm to 5.00 pm.

The committee is still calling for submissions on two bills, the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill and the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Bill. Submissions close on 6 August 2003. Submissions should be addressed to Tracey Rayner, Clerk of Committee, Law and Order Committee Secretariat, Parliament House, Wellington.

Local Government and Environment (Marie Alexander, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee will next meet on Thursday, 31 July to further consider the Forests Amendment Bill and the inquiry into the alleged accidental release of genetically engineered sweet corn plants in 2000 and the subsequent actions taken. The meeting will not be open to the public.

Mâori Affairs (Miles Reay, SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz)

The subcommittee considered the inquiry into the Crown Forestry Rental Trust on Tuesday, 22 July. The full committee heard submissions on the Ngati Tama Claims Settlement Bill in New Plymouth on Thursday, 24 July. The committee will next meet on Thursday, 31 July to consider the Ngati Tama Claims Settlement Bill, and to further consider the inquiry into the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.

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

The committee met on Thursday, 24 July. It gave further consideration to the Wine Bill, the New Zealand Horticulture Export Authority Amendment Bill (No 2), the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Amendment Bill and the inquiry into the administration and management of the scampi fishery.

Next Thursday, 31 July, the committee will again consider the three bills and the inquiry.

Privileges (Lyn Main, SC-PR@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Thursday, 24 July to hear evidence on the question of privilege relating to an article published in the Sunday Star-Times purporting to summarise the contents of a draft report of the Mâori Affairs Committee on its inquiry into the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.

The committee is meeting on Tuesday, 29 July at 7.30 pm to hear evidence on the question of privilege relating to the application of section 55(1)(c) of the Electoral Act 1993 to Hon Harry Duynhoven. This hearing will be open to the public.

Social Services (Graham Hill, SC-SS@parliament.govt.nz)

At the meeting on 24 July the committee considered the Families Commission Bill and received a briefing on the youth justice and social service delivery to the children and young people convicted in relation to the death of Michael Choy. At the next meeting on 31 July the committee will start the hearings of evidence on the Families Commission Bill.

Transport and Industrial Relations (Kath Henderson, SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on Thursday, 24 July to hear further evidence on the petition of Ross Sutherland regarding Paraparaumu Airport. The committee then heard further oral submissions on the Holidays Bill and the Holidays (Four Weeks Annual Leave) Amendment Bill.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, 31 July and will be open to the public when the committee continues hearing submissions on the Holidays Bill and the Holidays (Four Weeks Annual Leave) Amendment Bill between 10.00 am and 12.50 pm.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Commerce

Inquiry into the New Zealand electricity industry (31 July 2003)

The Business Law Reform Bill (7 August 2003)

Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Act (Abolition of Restrictions) Amendment Bill

(4 September 2003)

Finance and Expenditure

Taxation (Annual Rates, GST, Trans-Tasman Imputation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill (15 August 2003)

Government Administration

Border Security Bill (22 August 2003)

Justice and Electoral

Care of Children Bill (25 September 2003)

Law and Order

Courts and Criminal Matters Bill (6 August 2003)

The Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Bill (6 August 2003)

Local Government and Environment

Wellington City Council (Te Aro Reclamation) Amendment Bill (31 July 2003)

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, 25 July 2003

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