New Zealand Legislation: Acts

4 Duties of officers of Bill Drafting Department

• (1) The duties of the officers of the Bill Drafting Department shall be—

  • (a) To draft such Government Bills as the Ministers of the Crown may direct to be prepared for the consideration of Parliament, and such amendments of such drafts as may from time to time be required by Ministers of the Crown during the passage of such Bills in Parliament:

  • (b) To supervise the printing of such Bills and amendments:

  • (c) To examine all local Bills and to report to the Prime Minister or the Attorney-General whether and to what extent the provisions of any local Bill affect the rights of the Crown or of the public, or repeal, extend, or amend the provisions of any public statute, and generally as to the form and effect of each local Bill:

  • (d) If and when so directed by the Prime Minister or the Attorney-General, to report as to the form and effect of any Bills other than local Bills introduced by private members into the House of Representatives:

  • (e) Such other duties relating to the drafting and preparation of statutes and regulations to be made under the authority of statutes as the Prime Minister or the Attorney-General may from time to time assign to be performed by the Bill Drafting Department.

  (2) In addition to the duties hereinbefore referred to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel shall, if and when so directed by the Prime Minister or the Attorney-General upon the request of a local authority, revise any local Bill proposed to be promoted by such local authority.

  (3) In respect of such revision by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel of any Local Bill there shall be payable by the local authority such fees as may be prescribed by regulations under this Act.

  (4) All fees under this section shall be paid into the Public Account and form part of the Consolidated Account.

  In subsection (1)(d) the reference to “the House of Representatives” was substituted for a reference to either House of Parliament by section 2(4) Legislative Council Abolition Act 1950.

  In subsections (2) and (3) the words “Chief Parliamentary Counsel” were substituted for the words “Law Draftsman” by section 2(2)(b) Statutes Drafting and Compilation Amendment Act 1973.

  In subs. (4) the reference to the “Consolidated Account” was substituted for a reference to the Consolidated Revenue Account (as substituted for a reference to the Consolidated Fund by section 4(4) Public Revenues Amendment Act 1963) by section 114(6) Public Finance Act 1977. The terms Public Account and Consolidated Account were abolished by section 83(1) Public Finance Act 1989 and should now be read as a reference to the Crown Bank Account.