Ryall Tony: Sleepover Wages (Settlement) Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Ryall Tony: Sleepover Wages (Settlement) Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:676;Page:21832] 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 I move  
That the Sleepover Wages (Settlement) Bill be now read a second time 
. Many New Zealanders will be surprised that there is actually a second piece of legislation that has been going under urgency of the House in the last couple of weeks. The focus has been on the legislation that was passed just a moment ago. 
The Sleepover Wages (Settlement) Bill will set in place a responsible and affordable framework to resolve the sleepover issues for employers and employees in the health and disability sector and potentially for other employees and employers funded by the Crown. This results from a 2007 action that was taken and the Government has worked with employers and employee representatives to resolve the matter. The bill strikes the right balance for employees employers and the Crown. It will mean that services for vulnerable people will continue to be delivered overnight while setting in place progressive improvements in pay towards the minimum wage for employees who do sleepovers. It is a fair deal and it is one that the Government was pleased to support. 
The bill implements an agreement between the Crown IDEA Services Timata Hou Ltd and the Service and Food Workers Union to settle wage claims for employees who sleep overnight at their workplaces while on duty. The bill makes provision for the payment of back wages to the eligible employees of IDEA Services and Timata Hou who have previously worked sleepovers as well as providing a sustainable platform for phasing in the minimum wage. The parties to this settlement were supportive of the bill in their submissions to the Health Committee. In addition to implementing the settlement between the Crown IDEA Services Ltd Timata Hou Ltd and the Service and Food Workers Union the bill also establishes a framework for the settlement of other sleepover claims from other health and disability employers funded through Vote Health such as Spectrum Care Healthcare New Zealand Ltd and potentially other sectors funded by the Crown. It will allow for this through an Order in Council mechanism. 
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the chair of the Health Committee Dr Paul Hutchison who has undertaken that role for 3 years. I do not think a Minister of Health could have had a better select committee chairperson over that 3-year period. I thank committee members for their work on this bill. The committee has worked across the table and across parties to ensure that this legislation supports the continuation of vital services for some of the most vulnerable people in our community and at the same time it has secured progressive improvements in pay towards the minimum wage for people working sleepovers. I think the committee’s thoughtful consideration of this bill and its work with submitters and officials will mean that the bill once enacted will be fit for purpose and a credit to the parties and members of this the forty-ninth Parliament who support it. The select committee has unanimously recommended a number of useful amendments that taken together will improve the operation of the bill. The Government supports the amendments as put forward by the committee and we certainly commend them to the House. 
Thank you to all of those members who have contributed to this legislation. The intention is to make sure that the most vulnerable people in our community and their families will continue to have the certainty to know that these services can be provided and at the same time the workers and those who have had a claim registered will not only have a settlement but will know that they can move towards the minimum wage over the next couple of financial years. Thank you.