Select Committee Business
From 16 July to 23 July 2004

Committee meetings
Eleven committee meetings were held this week, all in the parliamentary complex.

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

Commerce

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Commerce
-2004/05 Estimates for Vote Consumer Affairs - 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Economic, Industry and Regional Development
-2004/05 Estimates for Vote Energy

Education and Science

-2004/05 Estimates for Vote Education
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Research, Science and Technology
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Education Review Office

Finance and Expenditure

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Audit

Health

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Health

Justice and Electoral

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Justice

Law and Order

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Corrections
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Courts
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Police
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Serious Fraud
- Petition 2002/81 of Ross Edward Nichol and 1,133 others

Local Government and Environment

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Environment

Primary Production

-2004/05 Estimates for Vote Lands
- 2004/05 Estimates for Votes Agriculture and Forestry, Biosecurity and Food Safety
-2004/05 Vote Fisheries

Social Services

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Child, Youth and Family Services
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Community and Voluntary Sector
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Employment
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Housing
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Senior Citizens
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Social Development
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Veterans' Affairs

Transport and Industrial Relations

- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote ACC
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Labour
- 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Transport

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

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

The committee met on 22 July to further its consideration of the 2004/05 Estimates.

The committee next meets on 22 July to further its consideration of the Inquiry into the New Zealand Electricity Industry and the petition of Roy Reid and 223 others, which requests that the House legislate to regulate electricity prices.
Education and Science (Kirstin Lambert, SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on 21 July to further consider the 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Education, Vote Education Review Office, and Vote Research, Science and Technology. The committee presented its reports on these Estimates on 22 July. These can be viewed at:
http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Publications/CommitteeReport/

The committee meets next week on 28 July, when it will hear evidence from the Ministry of Education on a number of petitions regarding school mergers and closures. It will also hear evidence, from the petitioners, on the Petition of Fleur Fitzsimons and Andrew Kirton. This meeting will be open to the public between 10.00 am and 12 noon.
The committee has formed a subcommittee to further consider its Inquiry into Teacher
Education, which first meets on 28 July from 12 noon to 1.00 pm. This meeting will not be open to the public.

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

The committee met this week to consider the 2004 Fiscal Strategy Report and the Economic and Fiscal Update; and the 2004/05 Estimates of Appropriations Votes: Audit, Finance, Revenue, State-Owned Enterprises, Arts, Culture and Heritage, and Immigration. The committee also considered the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill, and completed the hearing of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates, Venture Capital and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
The committee is next scheduled to meet on 28 July, when it is due to further consider the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill.

Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation (Miles Reay SC-MA@parliament.govt.nz,)

The committee met on 20 and 21 July to continue consideration of the Maori Fisheries Bill. It will continue consideration of the bill on 30 July.

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (David Sanders, SC-FD@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee met this week to complete its consideration of the appropriations sought by the Government for Votes Foreign Affairs and Trade, Official Development Assistance, Defence, Defence Force, and Customs.

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

The committee did not meet this week. It next meets on 29 July to consider the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Amendment Bill and the petitions of Daniel Anglesey and Denise Allen Powell. The committee will also consider two treaties that were recently referred to it by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee for examination.

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

This week the committee heard evidence from the Associate Minister of Health, Hon Ruth Dyson, on the 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Health, and considered several other items of business. The committee has now presented its report on the 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Health. The committee¡¦s report can be viewed at: http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Content/SelectCommitteeReports
Next week the committee will consider a number of items of business. It will also meet with a delegation from the United Kingdom Parliament. This will be from 12.30 pm to 1.00 pm, in room G.003 Parliament House, and will be open to the public.

The committee is inviting public submissions on two petitions relating to caregivers wages. The closing date for submissions is Friday 3 September 2004. The first petition requests the House of Representatives to address concerns regarding the level of home carer wages. The second requests that funding be made available so that caregivers qualifications can be recognised in their wages.

The committee requires 25 copies of each submission. Those wishing to include any information of a private or personal nature in a submission should first discuss this with the clerk of the committee, as submissions are usually released to the public by the committee. Those wishing to appear before the committee to speak to their submissions should state this clearly and provide a daytime telephone contact number. For further guidance on making a submission, our publication Making a Submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee can be found on our web site at www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz.
Submissions should be addressed as follows:

Catherine Parkin
Health Committee Secretariat
9.12 Bowen House
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON

Justice and Electoral (Angela Van Dam, SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)

The committee met on 21 July to consider the Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill and the 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Justice.
Next week the committee will meet on 28 July to consider the Sex Offenders Registry Bill, Petition 2002/55 of Lynley Hood and Dr Don Brash, and Petition 2002/70 of Gaye Davidson. The committee will also receive a briefing on human rights from the Ministry of Justice that will be open to the public.

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

The committee met this week to further consider the 2004/05 Estimates and a number of other items of business. Following its meeting the committee presented reports on the 2004/05 Estimates for Votes Corrections, Courts, Police, and Serious Fraud. The committee also presented its report on the petition of Ross Edward Nichol and 1,133 others.

The committee next meets on 28 July to further consider the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2), the Crimes (Drug Rape) Amendment Bill, and the petition of Chyrisse Williams and 142 others. The committee will also continue its international treaty examination of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts, Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.

Local Government and Environment (Beth Watson, SC-LGE@parliament.govt.nz)

At its meeting on 22 July, the committee completed its examination of the 2004/05 Estimates by hearing evidence on Vote Environment and considering and deliberating on both Vote Environment and Vote Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. It also continued its consideration of its inquiry into the alleged accidental release of genetically engineered sweet corn plants in 2000 and subsequent actions taken.

At its next meeting on 29 July the committee will continue its consideration of its inquiry into the alleged accidental release of genetically engineered sweet corn plants in 2000 and subsequent actions taken, as well as considering other items of business.

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

The committee met on 22 July to consider the 2004/05 Estimates for Vote Maori Affairs, and Vote Treaty Negotiations.
Primary Production (Bob Bunch, SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)
The committee met on 22 July to hear evidence on Vote Lands, and give further consideration to Votes Agriculture and Forestry, Biosecurity, Fisheries, and Food Safety in the examination of the 2004/05 Estimates. The committee heard further evidence from the Mussel Industry Council on the issue of introducing mussel sprat into the Quota Management System and gave further consideration to the Fisheries Amendment Bill (No.3).

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

The committee met on 22 July to consider all the votes allocated to it by the Finance and Expenditure Committee, hear evidence on the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill, further consider the Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Bill, and hear evidence on the Charities Bill. At the next meeting on 29 July the committee will further consider the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill.

The committee will also continue hearing evidence on the Charities Bill from Wellington-based sector organisations from about 9.45 am to 1.00 pm in Parliament House, Wellington. These organisations are the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the New Zealand Law Society, Volunteering New Zealand, the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand, and several other small organisations. The committee encourages other interested submitters to attend the meeting and listen to the evidence given by these sector organisations.

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

The committee met on 22 July to further consider the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill and the Railways Bill. The committee has reported the Estimates for Votes Transport, ACC, and Labour. These can be viewed at:
http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Publications/CommitteeReport.aspx?Year=&Cat=38&CatName=Transport%20and%20Industrial%20Relations&Order=
Next week the committee will meet on 29 July to further consider the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill. From 12.30 pm the meeting will be open to the public for the hearing of evidence on Petition 2002/94 of Graeme George Knowles and 5,813 others.

Closing dates for submissions

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

Health
- Petitions relating to caregivers¡¦ wages (3 September 2004)
Justice and Electoral
- New Zealand Sign Language (30 July 2004)
-Electoral Matters Bill (30 July 2004)
- Civil Union Bill (6 August 2004)
- Relationships (Statutory References) Bill (6 August 2004)
Law and Order
- Criminal Procedure Bill (4 August 2004)
Local Government and Environment
- Wellington Regional Council (Water Board Functions) Bill (18 August 2004)
Primary Production
- Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill (3 August 2004)
Transport and Industrial Relations
-Land Transport Amendment Bill (11 August 2004)
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:
Louise Sparrer
Senior Parliamentary Officer
ph: 471 9569, fax: 499 0486, or at louise.sparrer@parliament.govt.nz
Compiled in the Select Committee Office, Office of the Clerk, 23 July 2004

ENDS

© Scoop Media