Hipkins ChrisSUBORDINATE LEGISLATION CONFIRMATION BILL (NO 4)Second ReadingHon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I move That the Subordinate Legislation Confirmation Bill (No 4) be now read a second time.This is one of the highlights of the parliamentary sitting calendar as we consider the subordinate legislation confirmation bills which are of course an annual event in this House. Their purpose is to confirm by an Act of Parliament regulations that would otherwise be revoked by a particular date usually at the end of the year.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry to interrupt the Minister but could we just keep the noise down a bit? I notice the Minister's having to yell.Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: It's the excitement Madam Speaker—it's the excitement.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I can tell.Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: If these regulations were allowed to lapse the result would be administrative chaos—in some areas considerable expense and loss of significant amounts of revenue. The process is set out in the Legislation Act 2012 having been clarified and detailed by the Legislation (Confirmable Instruments) Amendment Act 2015. Future subordinate legislation confirmation bills will be subject to the provisions of the new Legislation Act 2019.This year's bill confirms delegated legislation made under 16 different Acts of Parliament. The instruments to be confirmed cover a wide range of subjects and most commonly bring about changes in levies and other charges including those related to biosecurity engine fuel monitoring and problem gambling. Other matters covered by secondary legislation approved by this bill include things like import prohibitions and changes to the annual catch entitlement for fish stocks to name just two.Subordinate legislation confirmation bills are used to implement changes that arise from international agreements. This bill approves amendments to tariffs that resulted from the Government's successful conclusion of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Chile in 2018 and the World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement.With only the second reading of subordinate legislation confirmation bills being debatable in this House detailed select committee consideration of these bills is very very important so I would like to thank the Regulations Review Committee. I'd like to thank the chair of the Regulations Review Committee Alastair Scott for their work on this bill. The committee has produced a comprehensive report on the bill and I thank them for that. Explanations about why the instruments should be confirmed were made by the committee. The committee sought seven different Government departments' explanations as to why they should be confirmed and as a result I understand that the committee has been happy to recommend that all of them be confirmed.The committee I understand paid particular attention to the Arms (Prohibited Ammunition) Order 2019 perhaps one of the more controversial aspects of this particular bill today. They heard oral evidence from the New Zealand Police on two separate occasions. The order prohibits 10 categories of military-style ammunition. Following its consideration of the issues the Regulations Review Committee has recommended that the order be confirmed.The committee's report further outlines how thoroughly they've examined the prohibited ammunition order. That provides a clear example of how the subordinate legislation confirmation process works and it demonstrates that the select committee consideration and the select committee process around subordinate legislation confirmation bills isn't simply a rubber-stamping process and that is actually something that the House should take note of.Later today the House will give its first reading to the Secondary Legislation Bill which will make the framework of secondary legislation in New Zealand much much clearer in partnership with the Legislation Act 2012. The subordinate legislation confirmation process means that secondary legislation can be scrutinised effectively without occupying a considerable amount of Parliament's time and I commend the bill to the House.