Little AndrewSUBORDINATE LEGISLATION CONFIRMATION BILL (NO 3)Second ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice): I move That the Subordinate Legislation Confirmation Bill (No 3) be now read a second time.Subordinate legislation confirmation bills are an annual event and usually mark the rapid arrival of Christmas. Their purpose is to confirm by Act of Parliament regulations that would otherwise lapse at a particular date. The process is set out in the Legislation Act 2012 having been clarified and detailed by the Legislation (Confirmable Instruments) Amendment Act 2015. There is no fixed category of regulations that have to be subject to this procedure but they tend to be those that are towards the edge of what is regarded as acceptable use of regulation-making powers and indeed the Regulations Review Committee has suggested that four categories of regulation should be considered especially suitable for statutory confirmation. These are regulations that are emergency regulations regulations imposing a financial charge in the nature of a tax regulations amending the empowering Act or another Act—or Henry VIII clauses—and regulations dealing with issues of policy under the authority of a broad empowering provision.This second reading debate is the only opportunity that the House has as a whole to consider a bill such as this. The first reading is without debate as is the third reading which will follow the second reading forthwith. It's important that the House passes the bill by the end of the year as any duties or levies that have been paid under a regulation that is not confirmed by the due date have to be returned to those who have paid them—a complex and expensive bureaucratic nightmare.The detailed scrutiny of the bill and the regulations that it validates was done on the House's behalf by the Regulations Review Committee most capably chaired by the Hon David Parker—a Labour MP—assisted by two members who returned after the election: Michael Wood and Chris Bishop the latter being a National MP; and two of course who did not return to the House after the election: the Hon Craig Foss and the Hon Chester Borrows.This year's bill confirms delegated legislation made under six Acts: the Commodity Levies Act 1990 dealing with chicks and eggs; Customs and Excise Act 1996; the Education Act 1989; the Energy (Fuels Levies and References) Act 1989; the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001; and the Social Security Act 1964.The regulations under the Customs and Excise Act that are to be confirmed place strict limitations upon the importing of southern bluefin tuna raise tobacco duties ban the import of high-powered lasers and adjust duties on alcohol in line with increases in the Consumers Price Index.The Commodity Levies (Eggs) Order 2016 imposes a levy of 36 cents a chick when sold for egg production.Chris Bishop: Is that right?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: It also defines what a chicken is Mr Bishop.Simeon Brown: What is a chicken?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: A member of the species Gallus domesticus—I'm surprised that the honourable member did not know that—which of course would be useful for someone like the Hon Chris Hipkins whose notes I've had the benefit of casting my eye over prior to arriving in the House tonight because he of course was thrown out of the Chamber for using the word chicken" once upon a time. It is late at night Mr Assistant Speaker and these are the things that we use to entertain us.The education regulations clarify the rules around eligibility for tuition subsidies a matter that is going to have the attention of this House very soon. Regulations made under the Energy (Fuels Levies and References) Act 1989 concern rates of levies or duties for the petrol or engine fuel levy or gas safety monitoring and energy efficiency levy. Various rates of benefits and allowances are increased by the Social Security (Rates of Benefits and Allowances) Order 2017. Finally accommodation supplements are raised and area definitions relating to them are altered to better meet the effects of the National Government's inflated rental market.The wide range of regulations confirmed by the Subordinate Legislation Confirmation Bill (No 3) show the value of regulation making as a tool for the executive to respond to changing circumstances in a way that is quicker and more appropriate than the full legislative process would allow yet still subjects these important pieces of Government decision making to the scrutiny of Parliament by means of referral to the Regulations Review Committee. I commend this bill to the House."