Latest news with #DavidWilson
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
The House: Parliamentary Agency Resources Under Pressure
Parliament risks being overwhelmed by an increase in public engagement on bills, Clerk of the House David Wilson told MPs this week. Wilson, along with Speaker Gerry Brownlee and Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez Montero, joined the Governance and Administration Committee on Wednesday. The event was part two-albeit a month late-of the Estimates hearing for the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service. Brownlee is not a cabinet minister, but even so, he is the minister responsible (as Speaker) for Parliament's agencies, the Office of the Clerk (OOC), and the Parliamentary Service (PS). He oversees the PS but the OOC is independent. Much of Wednesday's hearing was focused on a perceived strain on the OOC's staff and resources. The source of that strain has apparently come from the increase of three things: the increased use of urgency, the number of public submissions on bills, and the amount of scrutiny by select committees. Such technical, behind-the-scenes parliamentary issues are dry but crucial to the effective oversight and transparency of government, and to participation in the law-making process. Both are sacrosanct to a functioning democracy. Wilson said the Office of the Clerk currently has the resources to cope with the aggregate demand for its services. His concern though, is being able to cope with a potential "new norm" of having unprecedented submissions on bills, which he said they would "really struggle to deal with". "We can deal with one or two bills that attract a huge amount of public interest [but] we couldn't deal with those simultaneously, though, with current resources," Wilson said. So would such a shift mean that some public submissions will not be able to be processed because the Office of the Clerk wouldn't have the capacity? There is potential mitigation on the horizon in the form of the Parliament Bill, which is currently waiting for its second reading. While not a silver-bullet, the law change would enable Wilson to make a case directly to Parliament for sufficient resourcing to deal with the increased scale of submissions, and not rely on the discretion of the Minister of Finance. Double the scrutiny, half the resource The current session of Parliament changed how select committees scrutinised Government spending and performance. This included the introduction of two dedicated scrutiny weeks a year (one for Estimates and one for Annual Review), longer hearings and cross examinations, and more for committees to report. All that extra scrutiny increases labour and time costs. Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March expressed concern about whether Parliament has the resources to do justice to the new arrangements. "The feedback we have received [is] that there's a genuine trade-off that happens with increased scrutiny and ability to produce substantive reports," he said. Wilson said it's a matter of priorities. "More so than previously, there is the need to weigh up where the energy and attention of the committee and therefore the staff are going to focus... If you're doubling the amount of time spent on scrutiny, there's not double the amount of resource to support that," he said. Other than hoping for respite from the Parliament Bill's new funding mechanism, MPs could also propose changes to Parliament's rules and processes in the Standing Orders Review, which happens at the end of each Parliamentary term. That would be expected to occur in 2026. Brownlee, who chairs the Standing Orders Committee, suggested this as a method for countering the increased strain on Parliament's staff and resources. He told MPs on Wednesday the trend is that there are more submissions on all bills at the moment than there has been in the past. "I think it's for the Standing Orders Committee of Parliament to make some decisions around that, so if you've got some ideas, then feed them in," Brownlee said. * RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
The House: Parliamentary agency resources under pressure
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins Parliament risks being overwhelmed by an increase in public engagement on bills, Clerk of the House David Wilson told MPs this week. Wilson, along with Speaker Gerry Brownlee and Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez Montero, joined the Governance and Administration Committee on Wednesday. The event was part two-albeit a month late-of the Estimates hearing for the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service. Brownlee is not a cabinet minister, but even so, he is the minister responsible (as Speaker) for Parliament's agencies, the Office of the Clerk (OOC), and the Parliamentary Service (PS). He oversees the PS but the OOC is independent. Much of Wednesday's hearing was focused on a perceived strain on the OOC's staff and resources. The source of that strain has apparently come from the increase of three things: the increased use of urgency, the number of public submissions on bills, and the amount of scrutiny by select committees. Such technical, behind-the-scenes parliamentary issues are dry but crucial to the effective oversight and transparency of government, and to participation in the law-making process. Both are sacrosanct to a functioning democracy. Wilson said the Office of the Clerk currently has the resources to cope with the aggregate demand for its services. His concern though, is being able to cope with a potential "new norm" of having unprecedented submissions on bills, which he said they would "really struggle to deal with". "We can deal with one or two bills that attract a huge amount of public interest [but] we couldn't deal with those simultaneously, though, with current resources," Wilson said. So would such a shift mean that some public submissions will not be able to be processed because the Office of the Clerk wouldn't have the capacity? There is potential mitigation on the horizon in the form of the Parliament Bill, which is currently waiting for its second reading. While not a silver-bullet, the law change would enable Wilson to make a case directly to Parliament for sufficient resourcing to deal with the increased scale of submissions, and not rely on the discretion of the Minister of Finance. The current session of Parliament changed how select committees scrutinised Government spending and performance. This included the introduction of two dedicated scrutiny weeks a year (one for Estimates and one for Annual Review), longer hearings and cross examinations, and more for committees to report. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins All that extra scrutiny increases labour and time costs. Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March expressed concern about whether Parliament has the resources to do justice to the new arrangements. "The feedback we have received [is] that there's a genuine trade-off that happens with increased scrutiny and ability to produce substantive reports," he said. Wilson said it's a matter of priorities. "More so than previously, there is the need to weigh up where the energy and attention of the committee and therefore the staff are going to focus... If you're doubling the amount of time spent on scrutiny, there's not double the amount of resource to support that," he said. Other than hoping for respite from the Parliament Bill's new funding mechanism, MPs could also propose changes to Parliament's rules and processes in the Standing Orders Review, which happens at the end of each Parliamentary term. That would be expected to occur in 2026. Brownlee, who chairs the Standing Orders Committee, suggested this as a method for countering the increased strain on Parliament's staff and resources. He told MPs on Wednesday the trend is that there are more submissions on all bills at the moment than there has been in the past. "I think it's for the Standing Orders Committee of Parliament to make some decisions around that, so if you've got some ideas, then feed them in," Brownlee said. You can listen to the audio version of this story by clicking the link at the top of the page. * RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges
A pensioner extradited to Northern Ireland from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges has been remanded into custody. David Wilson, 77, with an address given as Slane Road, Carnlough, appeared before Antrim Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon. He is facing 18 charges, including of indecent assault and rape in the County Antrim area in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier, police said the man was arrested in Bulgaria on June 10 2025 before being returned to Northern Ireland on Thursday. At court, a police officer said they were opposing bail. 'Mr Wilson was conveyed from London last night into the custody of the PSNI, and then brought before the court today on foot of that warrant,' they said. A defence lawyer said there would not be an application for bail. 'Obviously he has been arrested in Bulgaria and brought here, he has no access to any family, he has been there for 19 years, no access to any money or anything of that nature,' he said. Wilson was remanded to custody. He is next to appear before the court on August 14.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Pensioner faces court after extradition from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges
A pensioner extradited to Northern Ireland from Bulgaria on sex abuse charges has been remanded into custody. David Wilson, 77, with an address given as Slane Road, Carnlough, appeared before Antrim Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon. He is facing 18 charges, including of indecent assault and rape in the County Antrim area in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier, police said the man was arrested in Bulgaria on June 10 2025 before being returned to Northern Ireland on Thursday. At court, a police officer said they were opposing bail. 'Mr Wilson was conveyed from London last night into the custody of the PSNI, and then brought before the court today on foot of that warrant,' they said. A defence lawyer said there would not be an application for bail. 'Obviously he has been arrested in Bulgaria and brought here, he has no access to any family, he has been there for 19 years, no access to any money or anything of that nature,' he said. Wilson was remanded to custody. He is next to appear before the court on August 14.
Daily Record
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Stirling Council chiefs quizzed over "one day" council tenancy acceptance fears
The council session raised the question of whether prospective council tenants were only given a single day to make up their mind and accept a property. Assurances are being sought that vulnerable people are not feeling under pressure to accept council properties virtually on the spot. At a recent full Stirling Council meeting, SNP councillor Willie Ferguson asked for details of council policy regarding the time allowed between an offer of tenancy and acceptance of that offer by the prospective tenant. But he also said he had been told some tenants were being told they had to make a decision on the day or risk losing out. Responding to the original question, community wellbeing and housing committee convener, Labour councillor David Wilson, said the Housing Allocation Policy had been approved by the committee in November 2024 and set out the process for accepting an offer of housing. He added: In practice, once a property is ready for viewing, the applicant is contacted to arrange a convenient time to view it. 'In line with the policy, a response to the formal offer is required within two working days of it being issued. 'Following the viewing, applicants are given a further two working days to consider the offer, if needed. 'We acknowledge that individual circumstances can vary and, where appropriate, a degree of flexibility is applied to these timescales. 'However, the response period is a key element to maintaining effective property management. 'This approach also aligns with the Scottish Social Housing Charter. 'By requiring timely responses to housing offers and managing void periods efficiently, we help ensure that homes are re-let quickly, minimise rental income loss and make properties available to those in need without unnecessary delay - supporting the Charter's aim to provide people with well-maintained homes when they need them. 'Furthermore, tenancy sustainment is supported through our flexible approach, which allows applicants the time and assistance needed to make informed decisions - contributing to longer-term tenancy success. 'This balance supports the Charter's overarching goal of delivering high quality, responsive and person-centred housing services.' Cllr Ferguson said he appreciated there was a balance to be had between housing operations and tenants' lives and the flexibility in how the council's tenancies were allocated. However, he added: 'The two day notice period, I'm hearing there some vulnerable tenants being told that on viewing they have to accept today or they lose it. 'Can I ask therefore that officers have a look at how they are implementing their policy and that the balance between housing operations and the needs of especially some of our more vulnerable people, that that balance is indeed maintained preferably to the benefit of the most vulnerable persons looking for accommodation.' Cllr Wilson replied: 'I have had a discussion with officers and they have given me that assurance that there is flexibility - but if you have got particular cases, if you provide them to me I'll get the officers to have a look and see what's gone wrong.'
