Context

Defini= tions=20 & explanations=20
- 10=20 page guideline=20
- 28-day=20 rule=20
- Administrator = of=20 the Government=20
- Ap= pointments=20
- Cabinet=20
- Cabinet=20 committees=20
- Cabinet=20 Office=20
- Co= nsultation=20
- Distribution=20 lists: how to read=20
- Executive=20 Council=20
- Format=20 of standard Cabinet papers=20
- Forms to = accompany=20 Cabinet papers=20
- Government=20 bodies: balanced representation=20
- Governor-General=20
- Issues=20 needing to go to a Cabinet committee=20
- = Ministerial=20 List=20
- Minutes= =20
- New=20 Zealand Gazette=20
- Notification=20 about Ministers overseas=20
- Official=20 Information Act: release of Cabinet papers=20
- Oral=20 items for Cabinet and committees=20
- P= ower=20 to Act=20
- Regulatory=20 impact statements=20
- Reports=20 due to Cabinet and committees=20
- Seal=20 of New Zealand=20
- Security=20 classifications=20
- Shoulder=20 numbers explained=20
- Waybill=20
- What=20 do I do if I have not received an agenda, paper or minute? =
Ge= tting=20 started=20
Wri= ting=20 papers

Procedures

Agendas= =20
Ap= pointments=20
Co= nsultation=20
Executive=20 Council and the Governor-General=20
International=20 treaty-making=20
Legislation=20 and regulations=20
Meetin= gs=20
Ministers'=20 overseas travel=20
Minutes= =20
Papers=20
Regulatory=20 impact analysis

Tools

Checklist= s=20
Consultation = topics=20
Examples=20
Flowchart= s=20
Forms=20

Useful links

Cabinet = Office=20 circulars=20
Cabinet=20 Manual=20
Cabinet & = Committees=20 workspace=20
Policy Development = Toolkit=20
Other=20 links

Regulatory impact statement requirements

When is a regulatory impact = statement=20 required?

All policy proposals submitted to Cabinet that result in government = bills,=20 statutory regulations, or that propose that the government support or = adopt a=20 Members' bill must be accompanied by a regulatory impact statement = (RIS), unless=20 an exemption=20 applies.

'Statutory regulations' has the same meaning as 'regulations' in the = Regulations (Disallowance) Act 1989. This means that = a RIS is=20 required for any proposals for deemed regulations submitted to Cabinet = for=20 consideration. This includes when statutory regulations are to be made = by=20 individual Ministers under an enabling power in an Act and the = Minister's=20 decision is referred to Cabinet for noting.

A RIS is required at the time 'in principle' or final decisions are = sought=20 from Cabinet and before the preparation of drafting instructions on the = bill or=20 regulations. It does not need to be resubmitted with the actual bill or=20 regulations. A RIS is not required for Cabinet submissions seeking = intermediate=20 decisions, but it may be prudent to provide a draft RIS at this = stage.

Departments are required to include the RIS when circulating Cabinet = papers=20 for departmental consultation, including to their usual Treasury Vote = team=20 contact. When circulating the RIS with the Cabinet paper, departments = should ask=20 other departments to comment on the RIS as well as on the Cabinet = paper.

What information = should be=20 included in the regulatory impact statement?

The RIS must contain the following information (these headings are a = useful=20 guide to the analysis that needs to be undertaken in developing a = proposal). A=20 Word template setting out these headings is attached to the = Regulatory=20 Impact Analysis Guidelines, which are available on the Treasury = website at=20 http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/guidance/regulatory/= impactanalysis.

Executive summary

One paragraph of no more than 150 words summarising the problem, = the=20 preferred option, and the main impacts.

Adequacy statement

A statement about who has reviewed the RIS (either the Treasury's=20 Regulatory Impact Analysis Team or the name of department = that has=20 reviewed the RIS) and whether the RIS is adequate according=20 to the criteria agreed by Cabinet.

Status quo and Problem

A brief, high-level summary of relevant key features of the = current=20 situation - not just features of the current regulation.
A summary of why government action is needed, including why the = current=20 arrangements are insufficient to address the problem. This should = contain an=20 appropriate level of detail on the costs and benefits of the status = quo=20 (including compliance costs, risks and opportunities).

Objectives

The objectives that options are measured against.

Alternative options

For each option that is neither the status quo nor the preferred=20 option:

a brief, high-level summary of key features of the option;
why it is not the preferred option, including an appropriate = level of=20 detail on the benefits and costs (including compliance costs, risks = and=20 opportunities).

Preferred option

A brief, high-level summary of key features of the preferred = option.
Why it is preferred and a statement of all of the proposal's = impacts,=20 including details of the benefits and costs (including an assessment = of the=20 proposal's net benefit, where possible and appropriate).
A risk assessment with a description of how risks will be/are = being=20 mitigated.
Steps that have been taken to minimise compliance costs, if any.
A paragraph that briefly describes how the preferred option = would impact=20 on the stock of regulation, including whether the proposal overlaps = and=20 interacts with existing rules, whether the proposal makes any = existing rules=20 redundant, and whether these rules are being removed or altered as = part of=20 the proposal.

Implementation and review (note: this section does = not=20 need to be completed for tax policy proposals)

How the proposal will be given effect, including timetables = where=20 available.
Plans for notifying affected parties of what they need to do to = comply=20 with any new requirements, if any.
The enforcement strategy that is to be implemented to ensure = that the=20 preferred option achieves the public policy objective, if any.
Plans for monitoring and evaluating the preferred option, = including key=20 dates, if any.

Consultation

Who was consulted in the course of developing the policy proposal? = What was=20 the form of consultation? Key feedback from stakeholders and = government=20 departments on each of the options considered, with particular = emphasis on any=20 significant concerns that were raised about the preferred option, how = the=20 department authoring the RIS altered the proposal to address these = concerns,=20 and, if they did not alter the proposal, why not.

When providing a discussion of impacts of options, the RIS should not = be=20 limited to economic concerns, and should examine the full range of = outcomes=20 including social, cultural, health, and environmental outcomes.

The RIS should provide a summary of the required information and = should focus=20 on the analysis of the options, including why the preferred option is = best.=20 Background elaboration should be kept to a minimum. The RIS needs to be = able to=20 stand alone. Departments should clearly specify the assumptions they = have made=20 about the drivers of the problem or issue and how the proposed solutions = will=20 influence these drivers. The length of the RIS will depend largely on = the=20 complexity of the problem under consideration, the number of options = considered,=20 and the extent of the analysis conducted on the proposal and the = alternatives,=20 which should be appropriate given the magnitude of the proposal.

Exemptions=20 from regulatory impact statement requirements

The=20 content for the Regulatory Impact Analysis section in Cabinet=20 papers

=20 =20