Penk Chris; Kuriger BarbaraInstruction to Transport and Infrastructure CommitteeHon CHRIS PENK (Minister for Building and Construction): I move That the Building (Earthquake-prone Building Deadlines and Other Matters) Amendment Bill be reported to the House by 31 October 2024 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting (except during oral questions) during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 193 195 and 196.Madam Speaker I know that this is a very tight debate in terms of the Government's view and it is supported by some others in the House that there be a shortened select committee time but perhaps you'll indulge me just to acknowledge the thoughtful contributions made by parliamentary colleagues all across the House including on both sides of the argument in relation to the first reading. I think it's appropriate that there's constructive dialogue and I thank everyone for exactly that.I do wish to point out in relation to the proposal that's before the House that there be a shortened select committee period that the fact we are now discussing and debating this bill at all in the first place reflects that there has been considerable discussion in the community including with local government—between themselves and with central government—and certainly I've been grateful for guidance by the mayors and other elected representatives of many different councils across New Zealand including those in whose jurisdiction we currently stand. So I think I would respectfully point out to those who are nervous about a shortened select committee report-back period that first there has already been considerable consultation and discussion. This is not a new idea—this is not indeed an original idea to me. Second just to emphasise to anyone who's listening and in case it's not clear already I'd point out that of course this bill relates only to the extension of the current deadlines as opposed to the much more substantive and difficult and gnarly and complex question of what the review might find and therefore what the regulations should be going forward.With that I look forward to hearing how the select committee goes though obviously not to influence it but to take great interest in it and I thank in advance the Transport and Infrastructure Committee whose members—many of whom are in the House today and have contributed already to the debate—I know will be diligent in the time that's afforded to them. I know that they will take seriously the obligation to consider this question of extension. Finally I'd like to point out that the time frame that we are proposing—31 October—for report back will enable us to pass this bill by the end of this calendar year thereby providing more certainty more clarity and less retrospectivity to the question of an extension whereby for those in the period of time from 2 April until today or such time as this bill comes into effect are in some sort of legal limbo.We know that Ministers cannot make law merely by announcing and certainly in the case of statutory and amendment we know from the case Fitzgerald v Muldoon and other discussions in our constitutional history that we can't regard these changes as being effective in law until such time as that law is passed. Therefore it's appropriate to have a shortened select committee report back so that we can get on and provide that certainty and then of course continue the important task of discussing those major questions that will surface during the review and already have indeed been the subject of some discussion. With that I look forward to contributions that no doubt will continue to be constructive in tone regarding the report-back period and of course I wish the select committee all the best in its considerations in due course.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to. For all members who might wish to take a call on this just a reminder that it is about the report-back time not the details of the bill.