Williamson Maurice: Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Williamson Maurice: Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:675;Page:20796] 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister of Statistics) 
: 
 I move  
That the Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill be now read a first time. 
 This bill is a very straightforward and I think practical response to two matters requiring quite urgent attention. Part 1 of the bill amends the Statistics Act to give effect to the decision to defer the Census of Population and Dwellings from this year to 2013. As the House will know the census was supposed to have occurred in March of this year but after the devastating earthquake on 22 February in Christchurch for a number of reasons it was decided to defer the census. One reason was that it would be very unfair to the people of Christchurch while going through the recovery process to force them into doing all of the work. Secondly there were huge dislocations of people so the numbers would have been very distorted. But more important the very hard one for us was that the actual office that did most of the census processing was based inside the red zone in Christchurch and was very very badly damaged. 
Part 2 changes the Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act of 1920—an Act that I am sure every member of this House reads on a regular basis to keep themselves— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: It’s actually a bit serious this. 
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON 
: Yes. Yes I understand that. Part 2 changes the Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920 to enable the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to delegate his or her functions responsibilities duties and powers. Both of these matters need to be attended to in a timely fashion. 
Part 1 of the bill amends the Statistics Act 1975. Section 23(1) of the Statistics Act 1975 currently requires a census to be undertaken “in the year 1976 and in every fifth year thereafter.” The amendment contained in the bill to omit the year “1976” and substitute “2013” removes the requirement that a census be undertaken this year and it puts everything back on to a new time frame. The bill needs to be enacted and enforced before the end of the year if the Government Statistician is not to be in breach of the statutory obligation to have undertaken a census in this year of 2011. 
The bill also obviates the need for the current proclamation process whereby the Governor-General appoints the day and timing of the census. The amendment enables the Government Statistician to appoint the day and timing of the census by notice in the  
Gazette 
 as soon as practicable after the legislation comes into force. This streamlined process is for the 2013 census only and is made in the light of public announcements already issued about the next census. It will allow notification of the actual day to be given in a more timely manner than the proclamation process allows. 
Some members may raise questions about the nature and frequency of future censuses—or censi I guess. Is it censuses? I think it is censuses. I think it is actually. We will have to get a definition later—censuses or censi? I have asked the same question: in this modern day of information technology and information processing is a 5-year cycle the right way to stay? It is a question I have asked; we do not know the answer. So I make it clear to members that this bill does nothing to preclude further considerations of how often and how we might undertake a census after 2013. This bill is just for 2013 and to get us back on to a 5-year track. Statistics New Zealand is currently completing its stage 2 business case Tomorrow’s Official Population and Social Statistics to provide Cabinet with a range of longer-term options and they will be considered. 
Part 2 of this bill amends the Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920. The proposal to modernise the delegation powers of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel is in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission and it is consistent with the general position of chief executives under the State Sector Act 1988. Members will note that the amendment is achieved by inserting three new sections after section 8A of the Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920: new section 8B “Delegation of functions responsibilities duties or powers”; new section 8C “Absence or incapacity of Chief Parliamentary Counsel or vacancy”; and new section 8D “Revocation of delegations”. 
This bill meets two well-established needs. Legislation is needed to change the requirement to hold a census in 2011 to 2013. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel needs an express power of delegation to enable the Parliamentary Counsel Office to be effectively managed during the period of his secondment in the United Kingdom. It is appropriate that this bill be considered under urgency and through all stages. I recommend this bill to the House.