Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2)

I move, That the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 2) be now read a second time. The bill confirms and validates 14 Orders in Council made under nine Acts.

The bill was referred by the House to the Regulations Review Committee on 28 August 2003, and the committee called for explanations from the five departments administering the orders. The committee was satisfied with the responses, and reported to the House on 24 October 2003, recommending that the bill be passed without amendment. I am grateful to Mr Richard Worth, the chair of the Regulations Review Committee, and to the members of the committee, for their succinctness of process and report. I am appreciative also of the support from all parties, following discussion through the Business Committee, that the remaining stages of the bill will proceed this afternoon. It is an illustration of the capacity of the House to treat sensibly a straightforward and non-controversial measure.

Four of the 14 orders apply to movements in the consumer price index, and two of those concern increases to social security benefits and allowances, and to war pensions and allowances. A third adjusts the excise on tobacco products, and the fourth increases the maximum rate for funeral grants—perhaps there is some connection between those two orders. Another three of the orders prohibit imports or exports. Two of those relate to Patagonian toothfish, and the other to dogs of specified dangerous breeds. One order provides for the recovery by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of related costs from the export of live animals and germ plasm. The final order removes a requirement relating to the taking of packhorse rock lobster.

As has been indicated, National supports this bill. It might be fairly said that this is not bowel-gripping legislation; it is technical and formal. The purpose of the bill is to confirm and validate subordinate legislation made under the various Acts the Hon Dr Michael Cullen has described.

Clauses 4 to 10 confirm and validate certain subordinate legislation that will lapse unless it is confirmed or validated by statute. The subordinate legislation referred to in clauses 4 to 7 is confirmed, and the subordinate legislation referred to in clauses 8 to 10 is both validated and confirmed. Clause 11, from a lawyer’s perspective, is interesting in that it provides that the validations effected by clauses 8 to 10 are for purposes only of preventing expiry of the enactments, and not to cure any invalidity that may exist. Finally, clause 12 repeals the Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Act of the previous year.

As the Hon Dr Michael Cullen has said, the legislation was referred to the Regulations Review Committee—one of the finest committees, I would say, in the entire Parliament. That committee asked for the views of the relevant Government departments, and they provided those views, which were found to be in order—certainly, to the satisfaction of the Regulations Review Committee. The only other matter that I would raise is that this type of legislation perhaps should be reviewed as to the necessity for it. It may very well be that other mechanisms can be more usefully employed, and that the time of Parliament need not necessarily be taken on confirming and validating provisions. That said, National supports the speedy passage of this bill.

New Zealand First supports the passage of this bill. I find the Regulations Review Committee to be quite an interesting committee, despite other members’ views of a committee that may have a look at 450 regulations a year. It meets at 8.30 in the morning on a Wednesday, almost every week that Parliament is sitting. As usual, with the excellent support staff that the Regulations Review Committee has, this matter was very carefully considered by the members. I would like to express my thanks to the staff for their assistance on this matter and on other matters, and also to the other members of the select committee, who worked together very well on various issues. We support the rapid passing of this bill.

Bill read a second time.

Third Reading