Webb DuncanHon Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central): Thank you Madam Speaker. The irony is that this in fact is the only bill that is urgent in this urgency motion because as Mr Bishop identified these regulations will be revoked or will expire if this legislation isn't passed which is quite different from the other material on the Order Paper.I think it's worth noting that this does come before the House as almost pro forma legislation but confirmation bills are in fact a really important parliamentary check on executive power. In my view confirmation clauses are something which we would do well to think more carefully about because whilst the debate here might not be extensive—and indeed we have a vote but no debate on the third reading—what does go on at the Regulations Review Committee is genuine parliamentary scrutiny.Now I feel somewhat for my colleagues on the committee who are new to the committee because they were presented essentially with the draft report that the prior Parliament had done the scrutiny of. So they didn't get a really good look at what goes on and the fact that the secretariat of that committee do carefully engage with the relevant departments.Hon Rachel Brooking: Very good secretariat.Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB: Yeah very good very competent and very diligent secretariat thank you Rachel Brooking—behind me. But I think it is really important to recognise that this is an important constitutional check. The other thing to note about this particular bill as is common is that these regulations or secondary legislation more appropriate given the new legislation around that is levying; largely levying through actual levies or through excises or duties or what have you. And those kinds of regulations which essentially require payment from citizens to the Crown are deserving of particular scrutiny.It is also important to recognise that the committee picked up a couple of quirks in there and has brought this legislation back to the House in an amended form. In many cases you wouldn't expect that but it turns out that a couple of those pieces of secondary legislation relating to a reduction in fuel excise were in fact no longer in force so you really don't need to confirm levies and regulations relating to levies that are no longer in force. You'll see if you look through the tracked version of the bill that they actually aren't there anymore. But if you do look at the other levies there you can see why they may be niche in some ways like a levy on the sale of arable crops which is obviously an industry levy. But we do know—this new Government makes a bit of a thing of it—that those levies are important to businesses; important in two ways. Important because they come off their bottom line which obviously affects profits and nobody likes that in one sense but equally funds important industry bodies. And in fact they create markets ensure standards are kept and are real advocates for the industries themselves. Those levies like the arable crops levy and of course things like the biosecurity entry levy make sure our borders are safe make sure that our crops our agriculture is kept safe from foreign pests and what have you—absolutely critical and we want to make sure that happens. And of course the export standards the green-lipped mussel in fact isn't so much a levy but a prohibition on exporting undersized green-lipped mussels and we want to make sure that export qualities are kept up.So I do absolutely want to make it clear that whilst the bill comes to the House with a truncated procedure it isn't a bill which gets a truncated scrutiny before the Regulations Review Committee. And I must say I'm very gratified to have been elected unopposed—which is unusual for me—to chair of the Regulations Review Committee. I fear I may not last long there but it's really good to be there and to see enthusiastic new members there who are really interested in what's going on in this committee. The constitutional check of a confirmation bill is one which I think we can't underrate particularly when we're dealing with things like levies and what have you. So we have had a good look at them. Most—all but two in fact—we have recommended be confirmed and other than that though it's good to come back to the House and say Yes the reasons for putting these various levies and rules excise—what have you—in place stand". We've checked it again we consider it still to be appropriate and this House using not delegated authority but the authority of a House of Representatives does that. So it's good to come to this House with the first I think select committee report as usual—straight out of the gate—first select committee report reported back to the House I believe and to come back and say we recommend that these pieces of secondary legislation be confirmed. Thank you."