Attempt to put laws online runs out of funding

4.00pm


The Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) has become the latest government agency to run into trouble after failing in an $8 million attempt to put its work online this year.

A select committee review of the law drafting agency has found it has run into problems trying to set up a website containing all of New Zealand's laws.

The Public Access to Legislation (PAL) project was meant to have been running at the beginning of this year but was described as having been "in pause mode since May 2003".

"The main problems that prevented it becoming operational as planned were systems issues (which we were told have now largely been resolved), and a large number of format and layout issues that affected paper and electronic output," the committee said.

After spending about $8 million of the budgeted $8.17 million a review was under way to see if it should proceed at all.

The final technical review was delivered to the PCO in October, but the committee was told they couldn't see the report because of commercial sensitivity.

The justice select committee said problems with PAL had preoccupied senior managers' time leaving them unable to focus on other issues of importance to the PCO.

The organisation did not have enough law drafters to do all the work that would be required of it in the current year, the committee said.

The PAL problems join a long list of other government agencies who have overspent on computer project (such as Land on Line) or failed to get them going at all such as the State Services Commission's attempts to set up an electronic procurement system.

There are currently two private organisations providing extensive electronic access to legislation.

Comment from the minister responsible for the PCO was not immediately available.

- NZPA

Parliamentary Counsel Office

Interim website of NZ legislation