New Zealand Law Society - PCO-drafted bills up, legislative instruments down

PCO-drafted bills up, legislative instruments down

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The Parliamentary Counsel Office drafted and published 60 Government bills in the 2018 calendar year, up from 45 in the previous year and 50 in 2016, its annual report for the year to 30 June 2019 states.

During 2018 the PCO drafted and published 281 legislative instruments. This was down on 2017 and 2016 with 310 legislative instruments made and published in each of those years.

The PCO says it has continued to make good progress with its long-term project to make all secondary legislation readily accessible from the New Zealand Legislation website.

"Formal project governance and assurance processes are in place, including a project board with four members from outside the PCO, and external independent quality assurance," it says.

"Two significant pieces of legislation will create the necessary legislative framework. The Legislation Bill stands reported back to the House of Representatives after consideration by the Justice Committee. It will progress further when the Secondary Legislation (Access) Bill has been introduced to the House to enable the House to consider the full legislative structure together."

The PCO says much of the work in the project in 2019 has focused on developing the Secondary Legislation (Access) Bill for introduction. The bill will amend about 2500 provisions across the whole statute book. It has involved agreeing changes with 35 agencies that administer primary legislation, and over 100 bodies that are empowered to make secondary legislation. This work will be completed in the second half of 2019, the PCO says.

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