Vote Office of the Clerk - Finance and Government Administration Sector - The Estimates of Appropriations 2017/18 - Estimates 2017/18

Overview of the Vote#

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is responsible for appropriations in Vote Office of the Clerk for the 2017/18 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 2017/18 cover the following:

• a total of just over $19 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 just over $3 million for capital expenditure
• a total of just over $3 million over three years for Inter-parliamentary Relations. This appropriation is limited to engagement with international parliamentary organisations and other parliaments, and Speaker-led diplomacy.

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

Details of Appropriations and Capital Injections#

Annual and Permanent Appropriations#

Multi-Year Appropriations#

Total Annual and Permanent Appropriations and Multi-Year Appropriation Forecasts#

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 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#

Operating expenses were lower in 2014/15 due to:

• staff reductions through resignations and restructuring
• the rescheduling or cancellation of inter-parliamentary conferences
• delay in the publication of Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand, and
• delay in finding a suitable supplier for the provision of closed captioning of Parliament TV.

Operating expenses were higher in 2015/16 and out years due to:

• increases in ICT service levels
• higher capital expenditure incurred in 2013/14 has increased depreciation and amortisation costs, and
• increased operating costs relating to Organisational capability and Parliament web accessibility.

The higher capital expenditure in 2013/14 and 2014/15 was for software development of Hansard Production System (HPS), Core Parliamentary Data System (CPD), e-committee system, Parliament website and upgrades to the Office's document management system.

Operating expenses are lower in 2017/18 than 2016/17 due to:

• expense transfer for Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand in 2016/17 not in 2017/18 and out years, and
• retention of underspend for Parliament website related costs in 2016/17 not in 2017/18 and out years.

The reduction from the above has been offset partially by the increase in additional funding and other operating costs for 2017/18 and out years.

• Higher Capability Workforce funding increases in 2017/18 and out years, and
• higher capital expenditure incurred in 2016/17 for the Parliament Website - Emergency Continuity and Upgrading Publishing Systems budget initiative, has increased amortisation costs in out years.

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.

Reasons for Change in Appropriation

This replaces a previous multi-year appropriation which has expired.

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.

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#

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 decrease in this appropriation for 2017/18 is mainly due to:

• an increase of $1 million for new equipment in 2017/18
• a decrease of $2.323 million in intangibles specifically for the replacement of aged and underperforming publishing systems and disaster recovery capability for the website that occurred in 2016/17
• an increase of $1 million for intangibles in 2017/18 for Parliament website enhancement and development of select committee submissions applications.

Capital Injections and Movements in Departmental Net Assets

Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives