Little Andrew: Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill — Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill — Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 08 May 2013. Volume:689;Page:9724. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Labour): As we indicated in the second reading just a short while ago Labour supports this bill the Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill. This bill makes some very important and very necessary tidying-ups to a very substantial piece of legislation which has worked its way through this House in a very deliberate very careful very considered sort of way.This will be the biggest set of changes to our criminal justice system to our criminal procedures in many many years. It is always important when we are considering big change particularly to an area as important as the administration of criminal justice that we get it right and that we take our time to do so. That as my colleagues have pointed out in their second reading speeches contrasts with the approach taken to some other legislation by this Government but on this occasion the Government and the Minister in charge the Minister for Courts are doing the right thing and have actually in the process of this particular bill taken time to consider to listen to and to accede to the points made by not only members on this side of the House but those who have submitted on the bill.In this part of the bill there are a number of parts that I think are very important. It highlights how when the House is considering large pieces of legislation and significant legislation even what might seem to be reasonably trivial aspects of the legislation when it is passing through the House in its stages can be overlooked in its first phase. But it is good that there is time to correct the mistakes that have been made.I want to acknowledge particularly in relation to clause 14A—and this was a change made as a result of the Justice and Electoral Committee’s consideration of the bill—the power of the judge or the registrar to waive certain fees imposed by the court particularly in relation to access to documents and also the provision in clause 14B for the arrangements and provisions for access to court documents. These are very important. These are very important not just for those in the course of a trial or the set-up of a trial—but actually often what happens is an aggrieved defendant considers they have not been dealt with properly is not sure whether it is appropriate for an appeal and wants to consider the matter and to get timely access to documents without theobstruction of the risk of fees and charges. With this change they can get access to them. It is good to see that that change has been made.Then of course there is the important provision in this part clause 15 dealing with the “Henry VIII” clause that was in the original legislation. That is now gone and this Committee is rightly saying that changes to other legislation particularly with reference to a term like crime should properly have the scrutiny and consideration of this House and its proper law-making function and that appears in here. So we welcome these changes.We welcome this bill. This is a good piece of legislation and it has been properly and well considered by the House. We only hope that the example given by this bill might be replicated in other pieces of legislation that are being promoted and pushed through this House by this Government. This stands as a benchmark to be observed and considered in other legislation. It is good that we are able to do that on this occasion even if it is in urgency and even if it is buttered up to more insidious legislation—legislation that poses greater risk to the liberty of the individual and citizens than perhaps posed by the Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill. The Government and the Minister in charge of the bill are to be acknowledged. They are entitled to have the credit of having managed this piece of legislation and this bill properly to the point that we are now finalising these aspects so that by 1 July we will have a good quality criminal justice system and legislation which ought to pave the way to reduce delays and provide people with the sort of fairness and procedural fairness that we expect to have in our system.I referred in my speech last night to the Rule of Law Index. New Zealand ranks seventh out of 97 countries that it presently measures for the principle of the rule of law. This legislation keeps us there. Let us not compromise our standing in the international community by rushed pieces of legislation that compromise the rights and liberties of our citizens.