Kaye Nikki: State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKaye Nikki: State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 02 July 2013. Volume:691;Page:11631. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NIKKI KAYE (Minister for Food Safety):I am very pleased to take a call on this legislation. Can I start by acknowledging a previous speaker actually—Ms Ardern—because I want to address some comments that she made previously and just deal with that issue of delegations. As has already been canvassed there is nothing in the bill that will change the Crown’s power to contract. That has always been there. So I want to just address Ms Arden’s comments in regard to that.But what is really important is that the Finance and Expenditure Committee was quite clear—and I think it is a point that has been missed by Ms Ardern and Mr Damien O’Connor—that in terms of the extensive controls in this area it requires the responsible Minister’s prior written consent in every case. It prevents any sub-delegations it requires conflicts of interests to be avoided or managed it requires delegates to comply with the State services code of conduct it makes delegates subject to the Official Information Act and the Ombudsmen Act and it requires the delegation to be reported to Parliament. So what I will not accept is comments by speakers on that side of the Chamber trying to imply that this has not been thought through incredibly carefully in terms of delegations.The second point that was made by Ms Ardern in particular was around Government workforce policy. This bill will establish a new simple process for consulting on and distributing workforce policy to Public Service departments and Crown entities. That is very important and I think it is important as well for members opposite. I know that they are not listening now because they do not want to hear what is actually within the legislation which is that the bill ensures that the workforce policy statements will not be regulations and cannot override any legal rights or obligations including any relating to good-faith bargaining.So in terms of answering the final point that I just want to touch on which was raised by Mr O’Connor was around immunity in terms of public servants. Obviously I do not intend to comment on some of the substance. I do not agree with a number of assertions that he has just made in the Committee. There is a review under way in terms of the recent situation in terms of meat and he has made a number of assertions that I do not agree with. But what I would say is that what this bill does and it is incredibly important—and if there is one thing that I have learnt in the last 4 months as a Minister it is that we have some outstanding public servants in New Zealand. It is really important that this bill implements the original policy intent that public servants will have immunity from legal action for good-faith action taken in pursuit of their duties.I am not going to comment specifically on the issues that the member has raised regarding the subject of meat because he knows there is a review under way. But what I would say to him and what I would say in relation to this bill is that that member knows better than any other food producer in this country that when you are trading with 50 percent of your exports there will always be food issues.So what I would say to the member is that he knows that in this bill not only are there substantive provisions around the delegations—they are comprehensive—but also there is a clear immunity for public servants in this legislation. So I appreciate taking the call on this bill.The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 262 in the name of the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman to Part 1 be agreed to.Amendments agreed to.The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 259 in the name of Te Ururoa Flavell to Part 1 be agreed to.