Select Committee Business

From 30 June to 4 July 2014

Committee meetings

There were 14 committee meetings, all in the parliamentary complex.

Reports presented

Commerce Committee

• Energy (Fuels, Levies, and References) Amendment Bill (170-2)

Finance and Expenditure Committee

• Petition 2011/28 of Roy Reid on behalf of Grey Power Federation New Zealand

• Petition 2011/78 of Deidre Kent and 877 others

• Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Monetary Policy Statement, June 2014

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee

• International treaty examination of the Arms Trade Treaty

Government Administration Committee

• 2014/15 Estimates for Vote Sport and Recreation

• 2014/15 Estimates for Vote State Services

Health Committee

• Briefing on English language proficiency tests with reference to non-English speaking health professionals seeking registration in New Zealand

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Regional services planning in the health sector

Primary Production Committee

• Briefing on fertiliser standards

• Briefing on the regulation of the whitebait fishery on the West Coast

• Briefing on the future of Maori Agribusiness

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Ministry for Primary Industries: Preparing for and responding to biosecurity incursions

Social Services Committee

• Petition 2011/87 of Vivian Needham

• Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Inquiry into the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board: Follow-up report, and Information request to the Minister for Building and Construction

Committee notes

Commerce

The committee met on 3 July and heard evidence on Petition 2011/76 of Ben Dowdle on behalf of Unmask Palm Oil. The committee also considered a briefing on information technology price discrimination.

The committee will not meet next week.

Education and Science

The committee met on 2 July to consider the Education Amendment Bill (No 2).

The committee will next meet on 23 July when it will further consider the Inquiry into engaging parents in the education of their children.

Finance and Expenditure

The committee met on 2 July when it heard evidence from the Office of the Auditor-General on the following reports from the Controller and Auditor-General: Watercare Services Limited: Review of service performance; Reflections from our audits: Our future needs – is the public sector ready; and Maintaining a future focus in governing Crown-owned companies, February 2014.

The committee also further considered the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill and the petitions of Deidre Kent and 877 others and Roy Reid on behalf of Grey Power Federation New Zealand.

The committee also considered the following reports from the Controller and Auditor-General: Setting up Central Agencies Shared Services; Annual Plan 2014/15; and The Auditor-General’s strategic intentions 2014/15 to 2017/18.

The committee will next meet on 23 July.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

The committee met on 3 July when it further considered the International treaty examination of the Arms Trade Treaty and the International treaty examination of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education. The committee also considered the petitions of Virginia Woolf and 4,000 others, and Joshua Orion Leenhouwers.

The committee also further considered its briefing on Iraq and received a briefing from Professor Zhai Kun.

The committee will next meet on 24 July.

Government Administration

The committee met this week to complete consideration of the 2014/15 Estimates for Vote State Services and Vote Sport and Recreation. It also further considered the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 4).

The committee will next meet on 23 July.

Health

The committee met on 2 July and heard evidence on the petition of Carmel Berry and Charlotte Korte on the use of surgical mesh in New Zealand, and continued its consideration of the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill. It also considered the Report of the Controller and Auditor-General on regional services planning in the health sector, its briefing on English language proficiency tests with reference to non-English speaking health professionals seeking registration in New Zealand, its briefing on prostate cancer, and the petition of Helen Richardson.

The committee will next meet on 23 July to hear evidence on the Report of the Controller and Auditor-General on the results of the 2012/13 audits of the health sector, and continue its consideration of the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill.

Justice and Electoral

This week the committee continued its consideration of the 2013 Local Authority Elections.

The next meeting will be on 24 July 2014.

Law and Order

The committee did not meet this week.

Local Government and Environment

The committee met on 3 July to further consider the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill, and the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill.

The committee considered the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Bill, the Briefing on the beech mast year, and the Briefing from the Ministry for the Environment on the management of contaminated sites. It also considered various petitions and reports from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Controller and Auditor-General.

The committee will next meet on 24 July.

Māori Affairs

The committee did not meet this week.

Primary Production

The committee met on 3 July when it received a briefing on the health of bees and further considered the briefings on the regulation of the whitebait fishery on the West Coast and the future of Māori Agribusiness. The committee also considered the petitions of Stephanie Bowman, Leona Plaisier and Mandy Carter.

The committee will next meet on 24 July.

Privileges

The committee did not meet this week.

Regulations Review

The committee met on 3 July 2014 to consider its briefing on regulation-making powers that authorise transitional regulations to override primary legislation. The committee continued its scrutiny of various legislative instruments and disallowable instruments that are not legislative instruments. The committee heard evidence from the Ministry of Justice and the Electoral Commission as part of its scrutiny of the Electoral Amendment Regulations (LI 2014/122).

The committee will next meet on 24 July 2014 to continue its scrutiny of various legislative instruments and disallowable instruments that are not legislative instruments, and regulation-making powers in bills.

Social Services

The committee met on 2 July to consider its Inquiry into the funding of specialist sexual violence social services, its Inquiry into boarding houses in New Zealand, its Briefing into long-term caravan park and motor camp accommodation, Petition 2011/87 of Vivian Needham, the Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Inquiry into the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board: Follow-up report, and its Information request to the Minister for Building and Construction.

On 3 July the committee reported Petition 2011/87 of Vivian Needham and the Report from the Controller and Auditor-General, Inquiry into the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board: Follow-up report and Information request to the Minister for Building to the House. Copies of the two reports are available on the Parliament website.

The committee is not scheduled to meet during the next two-week adjournment.

Standing Orders

The committee met on 3 July to consider the Review of Standing Orders.

Transport and Industrial Relations

The committee met on 3 July 2014 to hear evidence on the Health and Safety Reform Bill and to consider the petitions of Darien Fenton, Jan Mossman and 1500 others, Raymond Neil Hellyer and Philippa Joan Hellyer, and Malcom Eves and 1380 others.

The committee will not meet next week.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Local Government and Environment

• Christchurch City Council (Rates Validation) Bill (31 July 2014)

Submissions can be made online

General

Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 4 July 2014

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