Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Madam Chair it's a wise decision on your part if I might say so. I've been sitting up in my office watching the first and second reading debates for this bill and I saw that we were getting to the committee stage. I was compelled to come down to the Chamber because I've got a series of questions that I'd like to ask the Minister that relate to Part 1 particularly that relate to clause 3 of Part 1 and specifically around the words motor spirits".Now just by way of a background: just before Christmas I had the good fortune to purchase a new car and—Hon David Bennett: I thought you were going to get pulled over for drink-driving.Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: No no no no nothing like that no. I travel the vast extensive roading network around the beautiful Coromandel electorate extensively. So it gets to be that every few years a new car is required. So this time I made the momentous decision to in fact buy an electric vehicle Minister. So in the months since before Christmas through to last week I have clocked up something like 16000 kilometres in my electric vehicle 100 percent charged and no motor spirits have been used; not a single drop—not a single drop of motor spirits of the sort that are referred to in clause 3 of Part 1 of this bill have been used. So I've been using roads I've been travelling along roads and like thousands of other drivers of electric vehicles I haven't been contributing anything in terms of excise tax to the roading infrastructure of the country. Now there are some of my colleagues who think that's a terrible thing—it's a terrible terrible thing.Now my question to the Minister is that this is a Government that purports to be one that has an eye on environmental matters; but actually the walk doesn't match the talk. This bill particularly clause 3 of Part 1 is a classic example of that. So due to some foresight as a way of trying to encourage greater use of electric vehicles currently they are exempt from road-user charges and of course paying motor spirit excise duties and taxes because they don't use any motor spirits; and yet they're using the roads. So my question to the Minister is: what provision will he make at some point to review those matters? I understand that a review is due in 2021—and I think this is a question.Now perversely one of the odd things that have happened since this Government came to power is the uptake of electric vehicles has actually slowed down. Part of the reason that people are actually buying electric vehicles and not paying motor spirit excise currently is that they've been waiting—waiting—for this Government to promote some kind of incentives for the purchasing and use of electric vehicles; 100 percent emissions-free vehicles of the sort that the Green Party want the entire country to be driving and we saw how well that kind of policy—CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Order! Order! I apologise to the member if I'm going to be consistent with where I've gone before. I have allowed you to stray a little. So I'd like you to come back. I know you're referring to words within the amendment bill but—Hon SCOTT SIMPSON: Yes I am. I'm referring to the "motor spirits" words in clause 3 of Part 1 and how they don't apply to a significantly increasing number of vehicles on our roads that don't pay that are excluded—that are specifically excluded. I think that this is something that maybe the officials may not have considered in the drafting of this bill. Is the Government going to—and the Minister in the chair I'm sure can probably answer this question—review the position of electric vehicles and their current exemptions from the motor spirits—well because they don't use motor spirits—the fees the portion that they should fairly pay for using the country's roads particularly if they're driving around the beautiful Coromandel electorate? Is that a matter that he has considered; is it a matter that the officials have considered; and is it something that should rightly and correctly and properly be addressed in clause 3 of Part 1 of this bill?As I say currently there are some 15000 or 16000 electric vehicles not paying any contribution at the moment. That's due I understand to be reviewed in 2021. There's no mention of electric vehicles in this bill and yet the impost of 4c a litre is going to be put on everybody else using vehicles that consume motor spirits."