Status: Completed
Project overview
This Act has not been reviewed for many years and is out of date in a number of respects. The Act covered a range of interests, including remuneration of the Governor-General, Ministers and Members of Parliament, which make independent review desirable. An Issues Paper was published in July 2008.
The Report made recommendations about Part 1 of the Civil List Act 1979, related to remuneration and support for the Governor-General, was published in December 2009. The Report in relation to Parts 3 and 4 of the Act was published in December 2010.
Status: Completed
Issues Paper
Review of The Civil List Act 1979 (NZLC IP8, 2008)
The Commissions Issues Paper, Review of the Civil List Act 1979 (NZLC IP8, 2008).
Status: Completed
Reports
Review of the Civil List Act – the Governor-General (NZLC R112, 2009)
The Commission's Report, Review of the Civil List Act – the Governor-General (NZLC R112, 2009) recommends that Part 1 of the Civil List Act 1979, relating to remuneration and support for the Governor-General, should be repealed and replaced by a modern, stand-alone Act.
Review of the Civil List Act 1979 – Members of Parliament and Ministers (NZLC R119, 2010)
The Commission's Report, Review of the Civil List Act 1979 – Members of Parliament and Ministers (NZLC R119, 2010) recommends that the Civil List Act should be repealed, and a new statute enacted, called the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act.
The report recommends that travel, accommodation, attendance and communications services for members of Parliament and Ministers should be determined by an independent body, namely an enhanced Remuneration Authority. That body should also determine entitlements to funding and services to support parties’ and members’ parliamentary operations.
The Official Information Act 1982 should be extended to cover information held by the Speaker in his role with ministerial responsibilities for the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk, the Parliamentary Service, the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Office of the Clerk in its departmental holdings.
Status: Completed
Government response
There is no requirement for the Government to present a formal response to a Commission report where it has accepted the Commission’s recommendations. (See Official Government response process | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC).)
Recommendations from the Commission's Report Review of the Civil List Act – the Governor-General (NZLC R112, 2009) were implemented in the Governor-General Act 2010.
The Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act 2013 implemented some of the key recommendations from the Commission's Report Review of the Civil List Act 1979 – Members of Parliament and Ministers (NZLC R119, 2010) – to have the Remuneration Authority determine accommodation entitlements of MPs and electoral candidates and the travel entitlements of family members of MPs, electoral candidates and others. The Act provided for other entitlements to be dealt with by direction of the Speaker or by the Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services. The recommendations for the Remuneration Authority membership to be constituted differently when making these decisions were not accepted, nor the recommendations to amend the Official Information Act 1982.