Media Release Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer
President
Law Commission

29 July 2008

Review of the Civil List Act 1979 – Issues Paper for Consultation

The Law Commission today released an Issues Paper for consultation, “Review of the Civil List Act 1979.”

“This project involves a tidy up of some constitutional legislation of a highly technical character,” Sir Geoffrey Palmer, President of the Law Commission said.

“The primary purpose of this Act is provide for the appropriation of funds to pay for the salaries and allowances of the Governor-General, members of Parliament and members of the Executive.”

“The Act has not been comprehensively reviewed for many years. Some of its provisions are outdated. Some of the language is archaic. There is some unnecessary overlap between this Act and other legislation which creates complexity.”

The Law Commission canvasses a number of options for improving the legislation in its Issues Paper.

Sir Geoffrey describes the questions raised in the report as being largely technical in nature.

“Despite its relatively obscure status, the Civil List Act 1979 contains important provisions that should be both accessible and comprehensible. The proposals on which we seek comment are intended to clarify the legislative framework, and to improve transparency.”

The Commission welcomes any comments or submissions on the Issues Paper. The closing date for submissions is 5 September 2008. The Issues Paper is available from the Law Commission’s website www.lawcom.govt.nz

ENDS

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