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Performance measures 2015/16

These are the measures that we will use in the financial year 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 to assess our performance. The information is provided to supplement that in the PCO's Estimates 2015/16 (Vote Parliamentary Counsel).

Performance measuresBudgeted standard
Category: Access to Legislation

This category is intended to achieve that New Zealand Bills, Acts, and Legislative Instruments are readily accessible to the public in a timely manner and in an accurate and authoritative form.

Performance in the Access to Legislation category will be assessed as follows:
Free public access to the New Zealand Legislation (NZL) website is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week 99%
Drafting tool availability for Office of the Clerk and Inland Revenue Department staff. A 100% budget standard is not appropriate as system outages are required for planned upgrades 92%
Public enquiries are responded to within one working day 90%
Public enquiries are responded to within five working days 100%
Amendments will be incorporated within 15 working days of the date of effect of the amendment 100%
The number of Government Bills supplied to the House and published in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 50–70
The number of Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs) supplied to the House and published in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 70–100
The number of Acts of Parliament published in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 80–120
The number of Legislative Instruments published in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 300–400
Legislation is published in printed and electronic forms within the following timeframes:
  • within one working day the following will be available on the NZL website:
    • all new Government Bills introduced into the House
    • after the printed version is made available to the House, all subsequent versions of Bills
    • after they have been circulated to Members of Parliament, all SOPs
    • after they are notified in the New Zealand Gazette, all Legislative Instruments
  • within five working days:
    • of introduction or release, all Government Bills and SOPs are published
    • of assent, all Acts are available on the NZL website
    • of being made, all Legislative Instruments are published
  • within ten working days:
    • of assent, all Acts are published
 100%
The Attorney-General is satisfied that the quality standard has been achieved.
The quality standard is that:
  • the electronic database of Acts (both as enacted and with their amendments incorporated), Legislative Instruments (both as made and with their amendments incorporated), Bills, and SOPs is up to date
  • Bills, SOPs, Acts of Parliament, and Legislative Instruments are published to the standard required by Parliament
 The Attorney-General is satisfied
Category: Law Drafting Services

This category is intended to provide high quality legislative drafting services and advice in a professional, impartial, and responsive manner in delivering the Government's legislation programme.

Performance in the Law Drafting Services category will be assessed as follows:
All Bills on the annual legislative programme in categories 1 and 2 (both of which are Bills that must be passed in the current calendar year) are drafted. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 100%
Government Bills drafted and amended in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 50–70
Legislative Instruments drafted in the calendar year. As this output is demand driven, quantities will vary from year to year 300–400
The Attorney-General is satisfied that the following quality and timeliness standards have been achieved.
The quality standard is that:
  • Bills and Legislative Instruments are legally effective, clear, consistent with other legislation, the general law, and international law
  • Bills and Legislative Instruments are consistent with the policy they implement, legal principle, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and the Human Rights Act 1993
  • advice given on matters relating to the provision of legislative drafting services, including advice on legislative drafting, parliamentary procedure, executive government process, and the law, is sound, practical, and clear
The timeliness standard is:
  • Bills, Legislative Instruments, and SOPs are drafted in accordance with time frames set by, or agreed with, the Government, select committees, instructing departments, and agencies
 The Attorney-General is satisfied
The proportion of instructing departments and agencies we survey that rate the quality and timeliness standards as four or better on a scale of one to five, with one being very dissatisfied and five being very satisfied.
The quality standard is that:
  • the legislation produced is drafted as clearly and simply as possible
  • the legislation produced is legally effective
  • the instructing agency is satisfied with the final product
  • advice on legislative drafting matters is provided in a professional, impartial, and responsive manner
The timeliness standard is that:
  • drafts of legislation are produced within agreed deadlines
 90%
Select committees are satisfied that the quality and timeliness standards have been achieved as determined by survey responses from relevant select committees.
The quality standard is that:
  • advice given on matters relating to the provision of legislative drafting services, including explaining the changes made by the revision tracked version of a Bill, is objective, accurate, and sufficient

The timeliness standard is that:

  • revision tracked documents are provided for the select committee in accordance with deadlines set by or negotiated with the committee
 Select committees are satisfied
Pacific Island instructors are satisfied that the quality and timeliness standards have been achieved as determined by survey responses from relevant Pacific Island instructors.
The quality standard is that:
  • advice given on matters relating to the provision of legislative drafting services is objective, accurate, and sufficient

The timeliness standard is that:

  • legislation is provided to Pacific Island instructors in accordance with agreed deadlines
 Pacific Island instructors are satisfied
Proportion of Bills drafted by the PCO and introduced that are peer reviewed.
The quality standard for peer reviewing is that:
  • Bills drafted by the PCO are reviewed for their legal effectiveness, workability, compliance, structure, and readability. These Bills are reviewed once prior to introduction and a second review takes place before committee stages
 80%
Proportion of Legislative Instruments drafted by the PCO and submitted to Cabinet that are peer reviewed.
The quality standard for peer reviewing is that:
  • Legislative Instruments drafted by the PCO are reviewed once before being submitted to Cabinet for their legal effectiveness, workability, compliance, structure, and readability
 80%

The performance measures and standards for peer reviewing exclude Bills drafted by the Pacific Island desk and local, private, and Members' Bills, Bills introduced and passed through all stages under urgency that are not referred to select committees (eg Appropriation and Imprest Supply Bills).
There are also some instances when peer review of Legislative Instruments is not required. These include:

  • single date commencement orders (if not revoking a commencement order and replacing it with a new commencement order)
  • levies and fees if the change relates to figures only
  • ministerial notices that are pro forma (no choice regarding wording)
  • class notices.
Proportion of all introduced Bills drafted by the PCO that are proofread.
The quality standard is that:
  • Bills drafted by the PCO are read in full at least twice by Legislation Services to detect errors before introduction
 97%
Proportion of Legislative Instruments drafted by the PCO that are proofread.
The quality standard is that:
  • before Legislative Instruments drafted by the PCO are made, they are read in full at least once by Legislation Services to detect errors
 97%
The performance measures and standards for proofreading exclude Bills drafted by the Pacific Island desk and all Appropriation and Imprest Supply Bills (these are proofread in full only once before introduction as they comprise a standard template format and the contents of that template are thoroughly checked before introduction).
In regards to the three-yearly revision programme, the Attorney-General is satisfied that the following quality and timeliness standards have been achieved.
The quality standard is that:
  • all certified revision Bills and their accompanying certificates have been provided to the Attorney-General in accordance with section 33 of the Legislation Act 2012
The timeliness standard is:
  • legislation, as outlined in the agreed three-yearly revision programme, is drafted within agreed time frames
 The Attorney-General is satisfied
In regards to the three-yearly revision programme, relevant instructing departments and agencies are satisfied that the following quality and timeliness standards have been achieved.
The quality standards for the three-yearly revision programme are that:
  • the legislation produced is drafted as clearly and simply as possible
  • the legislation produced is legally effective
The timeliness standard is:
  • legislation, as outlined in the agreed three-yearly revision programme, is drafted within agreed time frames
 Instructing departments and agencies are satisfied

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