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Performance measures 2021/22

These are the measures that we will use in the financial year 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 to assess our performance. For more information, see the PCO's Estimates 2021/22 (Vote Parliamentary Counsel).

Performance measuresBudgeted standard
Drafting of and Access to Legislation

This appropriation is limited to the drafting and publishing of and providing access to legislation, and examining and providing advice and assistance on the design, drafting, and publication of legislation, and any other related functions directed by the Attorney-General.

Performance for this Appropriation will be assessed through the following performance measures:
The Attorney-General is satisfied that the quality and timeliness standards have been achieved.
The quality standards are 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 Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs) is up to date
  • Bills, SOPs, Acts of Parliament, and Legislative Instruments are published to the standard required by Parliament
  • 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 that:

  • 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 select committees 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:

  • 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
 90%
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 99%
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%
All Bills on the annual legislative programme in category 1 (that must be passed or introduced as a matter of law in the current calendar year) and category 2 (both of which are Bills that must be passed in the current calendar year) are drafted. The measure of quantity is demand driven and will vary from year to year 100%
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 standards are that:
  • the legislation produced is drafted as clearly and simply as possible
  • the legislation produced is legally effective
  • the instructing department or 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%
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
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 that:
  • 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 revision Bill does not change the effect of the law, except as authorised by section 31(2A)(a) or (b) of the Legislation Act 2012
The timeliness standard is that:
  • legislation, as outlined in the agreed three-yearly revision programme, is drafted within agreed time frames
 Relevant departments and agencies are satisfied

A number of the performance measures reflect the requirements of the Legislation Act 2012 and will need to be updated, particularly in terms of terminology used to describe secondary legislation, when the Legislation Act 2019 is commenced.

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