McKelvie Ian: Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
McKelvie Ian: Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8572. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
IAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 This vexing issue has been before the Regulations Review Committee for the entire time that I have been part of this House which is a bit over a year now. Certainly as the previous speaker the Hon Maryan Street alluded to it has been before the Regulations Review Committee since around 2010. 
Before I make a few comments on that I do want to comment on a couple of issues that Su’a William Sio raised because I think they need some addressing. One could be depressed by the current cricket score but also you could definitely have been depressed by the first minute or so of his speech. He clearly lost his way as the policies of this Government will almost certainly provide more and better-paid jobs for people and certainly for plumbers gasfitters and drainlayers in New Zealand. 
Having got that off my chest I just want to go on to make a few points about this bill the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Amendment Bill because it is quite important I think. Although I am not keen on retrospective legislation and I do not think anyone in this House is keen on it it is at times necessary to put in place legislation that tidies up some issues for us. All boards in the building and construction sector are funded by fees and levies charged to their industry. This bill validates that situation for the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board and puts it on a par with other industry bodies. The matter arises from its desire to rid the industry of unskilled and unqualified operators. There is no way to protect its members and clients from what may be termed unskilled or shonky operators other than for the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board to pursue and prosecute as required. We need to remember that this activity also protects the consumer from this danger or shonky work and that is certainly a very important part of this Parliament’s work. 
As I have said the bill has arisen after a number of attempts by both the Regulations Review Committee and the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board to rectify the situation. I must also defend the Minister for Building and Construction because I do not recall him ever criticising the Regulations Review Committee as Raymond Huo stated earlier. This is a pragmatic approach to a problem that was clearly an error in earlier drafting of the Act both in 2000 and in 2006. It was clearly the intention of the Government of the day that the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board have the ability to police its own industry to keep it under control and to make sure that it was run rationally and in a manner that certainly protected its clients and the public from what was going on. 
I have got no problem in recommending that this bill go to the next stage. I am also pleased to see that it will be back in the House very quickly as I think it is necessary that we get this sort of work done quickly tidied up and moved on. I also have some sympathy for the complainants in this matter as they have spent a lot of time and energy putting those complaints to the Regulations Review Committee. I am sure that this solution will overcome those problems for the industry. Thank you.