INDEPENDENT NEWS

Select Committee Business

Published: Fri 27 Aug 1999 01:17 PM
Select Committee Business
20 August 1999 to 27 August 1999
Committee meetings
There were 16 committee meetings, all in the parliamentary complex.
Reports presented (10)
Primary Production
Fisheries Amendment Bill (258-2)
Fisheries (Retention of New Zealand Control) Bill (196-1)
Fisheries Amendment Bill (No.3) (formerly part of the Fisheries Amendment Bill (No.2))
Finance and Expenditure Taxation (Annual Rates and Remedial Matters) Bill (279-2)
Internal Affairs and Local Government
Petitions 1996/850 of Mary Jenkins and others and 1996/418 of Robin Corner and others
Justice and Law Reform
Bail Bill (300-2)
Crimes (Bail Reform) Bill (270-1)
Penal Institutions Amendment Bill (316-2)
Regulations Review
Complaints relating to Accident Insurance (Insurer Returns) Regulations 1999 (I. 16S)Investigation into the Land Transport (Driver Licensing and Driver Testing Fees) Regulations 1999 and the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (I. 16T)
Bills referred to select committees
The Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No. 3) was referred to the Regulations Review Committee with a report due by 1 September.
Committee notes
Commerce (Clare Sullivan, Louise Foley)
The committee heard evidence on its financial review of Television New Zealand. The chairperson, chief executive and other senior managers appeared. Issues the committee considered included the operating results, local content, and the sale of shares in SKY Television and Clear Communications. Next week the committee will consider a number of petitions.
Education and Science (Graham Hill, Tim Cooper)
The committee met on 26 August to consider the Educational Establishments (Exemption from Certain Rates) Bill and petitions. At its next meeting on 2 September the committee will consider its inquiry into the Blueprint for Change and hear evidence on the petition of Karen Johansen requesting that the committee investigate the circumstances that have led to students with special education needs at Gisborne Girls* High School having their ongoing resourcing of special education teacher aide hours cut.
Finance and Expenditure (Nick Aldous, Ainslie Rayner)
The committee will meet on Wednesday, 1 September to continue hearing evidence from the Commissioner of Inland Revenue on the Inquiry into the Powers and Operations of the Inland Revenue Department.
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Dave Sanders, Malcolm McNamara)
The committee further considered its defence inquiry and heard evidence from Mr Thuten Kesang on his petition on behalf of the Friends of Tibet. Mr Kesang would like to see New Zealand offer to play an intermediary role in the res
olution of issues between Tibet and the Peoples' Republic of China. The committee will consider this petition further at its next meeting.
Internal Affairs and Local Government (Kia Paranihi, Fiona McLean)
The committee dealt with a very full agenda on Thursday 26 August. This included another hearing on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council (Surplus Funds Distribution) Empowering Bill for which the Wairoa District Council Mayor, Derek Fox, and the Central Hawke's Bay Mayor, Hamish Kynoch presented submissions in person.
Two casino petitions have now been reported back. These are petitions of Mary Jenkins and others, and Robin Corner and others.
Justice and Law Reform (Jayne Wallis, Tracey Conlon)
The committee presented its reports on three bills this week. On Monday it made a report on the Crimes (Bail Reform) Bill, a member's bill in the name of Hon Phil Goff, recommending that it not proceed. This recommendation was largely made be
cause the concerns behind this bill are addressed in the Bail Bill, a Government bill, reported back on the same day.
The committee recommended a number of amendments to the bill, which aims primarily to consolidate bail law, but also makes some substantive changes to the law. These changes are to ensure more information, including information on the defendant's past history of breach of bail conditions and off
ending while on bail, is provided to the court when considering bail applications. The bill also aims to ensure transparency and consistency in bail decisions by providing statutory criteria to be considered when deciding on a bail application. In addition, it aims to deter offending on bail
and increase the rights of the victim at bail hearings.
On Wednesday, the committee presented its report on the Penal Institutions Amendment Bill (No. 2).
This bill provides for the monitoring of prison inmates' telephone calls. The committee recommended amendments to include calls to members of Parliament in the list of those exempt from the monito
ring regime and provide for a system of interception of mobile telephones.
Maori Affairs (Jamesa Marino-Fritzsch, Denise Te Karu)
The Ngati Turangitukua Claims Settlement Bill had a report due date of 24 August 1999. The committee had not presented its report by the due date and it was therefore discharged from the committee*s consideration as provided in Standing Order 286. The bill now moves to its next stage on the order paper.
Regulations Review (Shelley Banks)
The committee presented two reports on Tuesday, 24 August.
The first is a report on an Investigation into the Land Transport (Driver Licensing and Driver Testing) Fees Regulations 1999 and the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999. The report concludes that none of the committee*s Standing Order grounds have been offended by the regulations, but m
akes a general recommendation to the Government regarding consultation:
*When regulations are made prescribing fees that affect a large proportion of the New Zealand population, the regulator should, as part of the consultation process, provide all interested persons with detailed information about how fees have been calculated and how direct and indirect costs have
been allocated.*
The second report is on Complaints regarding the Accident Insurance (Insurer Returns) Regulations 1999. The complaint was lodged by the Privacy Commissioner and supported by the Race Relations Conciliator. The report concludes that the requirement in the regulations to specify a person*s ethnic
ity classification on an insurance return unduly trespasses on personal rights and liberties. The report recommends to the Government that the regulation concerned be revoked.
The committee continues its consideration of two other complaints about accident insurance regulations, the Accident Insurance (Review Costs and Appeals) Regulations 1999 and the Accident Insurance (Insurer*s Liability to Pay Cost of Treatment) Regulations 1999 on 8 September 1999 from 3.15 pm.
Transport and Environment (David Bagnall, Karen Smyth)
The Forests Amendment Bill is currently before the committee. The bill relates to the logging and management of indigenous forests and export controls on indigenous sawn timber, logs and woodchips. It provides that Crown forests managed by Timberlands West Coast Limited are brought under the same regime as private forest land. It also enables land held under the South Island Landless Natives Act 1906 to be bought within that regime. To achieve this, export and milling provisions in the Forests Act 1949 are extended to cover these other indigenous forests not currently included under the legislation. The bill provides that only timber cut from sustainably managed forests can be exported. This week the committee met in Wellington to continue hearing evidence on the bill. Submitters from Native Forest Action, the Tararua Tramping Club and Tapu te Ranga Trust appeared before the committee.
Closing dates for submissions on bills
Committees are receiving submissions on the following bills with the closing date shown:
Justice and Law Reform
Arms Amendment (No. 2) (17 September 1999)
Maori Affairs
Maori Purposes (26 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. If you require additional information or have any feedback on the contents, please contact:

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