Vote Office of the Clerk - Finance and Government Administration Sector - Estimates 2020/21

Vote Office of the Clerk#

Overview of the Vote#

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is responsible for appropriations in Vote Office of the Clerk for the 2020/21 financial year. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is the principal permanent officer of the House and carries out the functions required of the Clerk specified in section 3 of the Clerk of the House of Representatives Act 1988 (the Act). While the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives is responsible for administering the Vote, the Office's primary purpose is to assist the Clerk in carrying out those functions specified in section 3 of the Act.

Total appropriations in Vote Office of the Clerk for 2020/21 cover the following:

• a total of nearly $21 million for the provision of secretariat services for the House of Representatives, including professional advice and services designed to assist the House in the fulfilment of its constitutional functions and to enable participation in, and an understanding of, parliamentary proceedings
• a total of nearly $3 million for capital expenditure, and
• a total of nearly $4 million over three years for Inter-Parliamentary Relations. This appropriation is limited to engagement with international parliamentary organisations and other parliaments, as well as Speaker-led diplomacy.

Details of these appropriations are set out in Parts 2-4.

Details of Appropriations and Capital Injections#

Annual Appropriations and Forecast Permanent Appropriations#

Multi-Year Appropriations#

Total Annual Appropriations and Forecast Permanent Appropriations and Multi-Year Appropriations#

Capital Injection Authorisations#

Supporting Information#

Part 1 - Vote as a Whole#

This part provides trend information for the vote.

1.2 - Trends in the Vote#

Summary of Financial Activity

Note - where restructuring of the vote has occurred then, to the extent practicable, prior years information has been restated as if the restructuring had occurred before the beginning of the period covered. In this instance Total Appropriations for the Budgeted and Estimated Actual year may not equal Total Annual Appropriations and Forecast Permanent Appropriations and Multi-Year Appropriations in the Details of Appropriations and Capital Injections.

Adjustments to the Summary of Financial Activity Table Due to Vote Restructuring

There have been no restructuring adjustments to prior year information in the Summary of Financial Activity table.

1.3 - Analysis of Significant Trends#

Analysis of key movements in operating expenses:

• 2015/16 - higher due to increases in the cost of ICT services, the Parliament website and costs relating to organisational capability.
• 2018/19 - higher due to higher capability workforce funding being received to alleviate cost pressures and increase the capability of the Office.
• 2019/20 - higher due to funding carried forward for the sign language interpretation for PTV and Inter-Parliamentary Relations funded by third parties.

Analysis of key movements in capital expenditure:

• 2015/16 - project delays resulted in a low spend.
• 2016/17 - higher spend due to increased number of projects.
• 2017/18 and 2018/19 - are generally in line with the average spend.
• 2019/20 - lower due to the re-alignment of the internal capital expenditure plan.

Part 2 - Details of Departmental Appropriations#

2.1 - Departmental Output Expenses#

Inter-parliamentary Relations (M78)

Scope of Appropriation and Expenses

Revenue

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to build the capability of the New Zealand Parliament and its elected members and advance New Zealand's collective interest through engagement with international parliamentary organisations and other parliaments, contributing to parliamentary strengthening in the Pacific, and Speaker-led diplomacy.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by the Office of the Clerk in its Annual Report to be presented to the House.

Secretariat Services for the House of Representatives (M78)

Scope of Appropriation

Expenses and Revenue

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve a well-supported legislature that meets constitutional requirements for the consideration of legislation, the scrutiny of executive government, and other parliamentary business, and a well-informed public that participates in the legislature's proceedings.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

Standards for services to the House and committees

Note 1 -

Accurate: means that the advice accords with Standing Orders, Speakers' Rulings, and established practice.

Practical: advice is solution focused, suggesting a clear way forward, has considered technical feasibility, timing, cost, and includes a range of solutions.

Politically aware: advice demonstrates awareness of the wider political environment.

Note 2 - Information and services required by the House for sittings include:

• preparation of Order Paper for each sitting day
• scrutiny of questions for oral and written answer
• scrutiny of notices of motions
• checking of petitions for compliance with the Standing Orders
• arrangement of presentation of papers
• scrutiny of bills and supplementary order papers for compliance with the Standing Orders, and
• Te Reo Maori and sign language interpreters.

Information and services required by committees include:

• preparation of notices of meetings, agendas and minutes
• arrangement of hearings of evidence and brokering of advice for legislative and financial scrutiny and select committee inquiries
• management of committee papers
• preparation of draft reports and arrange for their presentation to the House, and
• Te Reo Maori and sign language interpretation and translation.

Note 3 - Recording, publishing and maintenance of records means:

• Hansard
• decisions and business of House are recorded accurately and published to the Journals of the House of Representatives
• committee proceedings are published to the Parliament website, and
• all records accord with the Standing Orders, Speakers' Rulings, and established practice.

Standards for drafting legislation

Note 4 - The standards of quality in drafting legislation are that the member is satisfied with the final product to the extent that achieving the members' satisfaction with the final product allows the following:

• the legislation produced gives effect to the member's intentions
• the legislation produced is drafted as clearly and simply as possible, and
• the legislation produced is in accordance with the Standing Orders (and is legally sound).

Standards for pecuniary interests

Note 5 - Satisfaction means that the Registrar of Pecuniary Interests and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament is satisfied that all advice provided by the Office to the Registrar accords with the Standing Orders and practices of the House of Representatives and that all responses to requests for significant advice were peer reviewed.

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by Office of the Clerk in its Annual Report to be presented to the House.

Current and Past Policy Initiatives

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

The decrease in this appropriation of $282,000 for 2020/21 is mainly due to an expense transfer included in the 2019/20 year that is not carried forward to the 2020/21 year.

2.3 - Departmental Capital Expenditure and Capital Injections#

Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives - Capital Expenditure PLA (M78)

Scope of Appropriation

Capital Expenditure

What is Intended to be Achieved with this Appropriation

This appropriation is intended to achieve the maintenance and upgrade of the Office of the Clerk's information technology, publishing and broadcasting applications and equipment through development and routine replacement.

How Performance will be Assessed and End of Year Reporting Requirements

Expenditure is in accordance with Office of the Clerk's long term capital expenditure plan.

End of Year Performance Reporting

Performance information for this appropriation will be reported by the Office of the Clerk in its Annual Report to be presented to the House.

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

The increase in this appropriation for 2020/21 is mainly due to an alignment to expected capital expenditure in accordance with the Capital Asset Management Plan for the Office.

Capital Injections and Movements in Departmental Net Assets

Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives