2021 Budget bid in relation to the cost of living adjustment for Government Scheme pre 1985 retirees.
An annuitant made this Official Information request to The Treasury
The request was partially successful.
From: An annuitant
Dear The Treasury,
The 2021 Budget included an item to implement the following petition from the Government Superannuitants Association presented on 3 July 2018.
"That the House of Representatives pass legislation amending the Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956 to ensure all Government Superannuation Fund and National Provident Fund annuitants are treated consistently with regard to the annual cost of living adjustments being based on 100% indexation of the Consumers Price Index, as was the objective of the Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Bill 2008."
The Finance and Expenditure Committee considered this petition in May 2019 and recommended:
"We find that the indexation formula included in the Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Act 2009, intended to achieve 100 percent indexation against the Consumers Price Index, appears to be a different formula to that used in previous iterations. We recommend to the Government that it take note of this finding and consider options for addressing the resultant lesser payments received by contributors and beneficiaries of the fund."
Consequently a bit was made to implement this recommendation in the 2021 Budget.
Could you please provide a copy of your responses to the Minister of Finance in relation to this bid?
Yours faithfully,
An annuitant
From: Bilgehan Berberoglu [TSY]
The Treasury
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora An annuitant,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982, which
was received on 3 June 2021, copied below.
The 2021 Budget included an item to implement the following petition from
the Government Superannuitants Association presented on 3 July 2018.
"That the House of Representatives pass legislation amending the
Government Superannuation Fund Act 1956 to ensure all Government
Superannuation Fund and National Provident Fund annuitants are treated
consistently with regard to the annual cost of living adjustments being
based on 100% indexation of the Consumers Price Index, as was the
objective of the Government Superannuation Fund Amendment Bill 2008."
The Finance and Expenditure Committee considered this petition in May 2019
and recommended:
"We find that the indexation formula included in the Government
Superannuation Fund Amendment Act 2009, intended to achieve 100 percent
indexation against the Consumers Price Index, appears to be a different
formula to that used in previous iterations. We recommend to the
Government that it take note of this finding and consider options for
addressing the resultant lesser payments received by contributors and
beneficiaries of the fund."
Consequently a bit was made to implement this recommendation in the 2021
Budget.
Could you please provide a copy of your responses to the Minister of
Finance in relation to this bid?
A response will be provided in accordance with the Act (please see the
Office of the Ombudsman Website for more details -
[1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/).
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Privacy Act 1993 and the Official Information Act 1982.
Ngâ mihi,
Bilgehan
[2]cid:image003.png@01D60C35.4D782DD0
Bilgehan Berberoglu | Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ôhanga – The Treasury
Tel: N/A | Email/IM: [3][email address]
Visit us online at [4]https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on
[5]Twitter, [6]LinkedIn and [7]Instagram
Link: [8]File-List
Link: [9]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [10]themeData
Link: [11]colorSchemeMapping
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From: An annuitant
Dear Bilgehan Berberoglu [TSY],
Thank you for your response.
All I am asking for is a copy of the report(s) you have. I have noticed that the advice from the Ombudsman is as follows:
The Ombudsman in the Guide "The OIA for Ministers and Agencies" states:
Page 4: “Key principles and purposes of the OIA”
Principle of availability
The principle of availability underpins the whole of the OIA. The OIA explicitly states that:
The question whether any official information is to be made available … shall be determined, except where this Act otherwise expressly requires, in accordance with the purposes of this Act and the principle that the information shall be made available unless there is good reason for withholding it (emphasis added).
This principle should always be kept in mind when an agency is considering how best to respond to a request for official information.
This principle is further expanded to include:
Page 11: “Eligibility to request official information”
What if a requester is not eligible?
Even if a person is not eligible to make a request for official information under the OIA (for example a person who is overseas and not a New Zealand citizen or resident), they can still ask an agency for the information they are seeking.
While the agency is not required to respond in accordance with the requirements of the OIA, it should still deal with the request for information in an administratively reasonable manner. If the person has any concerns about the response that they receive, then they can complain to the Ombudsman under the OA.
I would therefore wish you to further consider my request on the above basis. You can contact me via this website.
Yours sincerely,
An annuitant
From: Bilgehan Berberoglu [TSY]
The Treasury
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[UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Sir / Madam,
Please find attached the Treasury’s response to your OIA request
(20210251).
Ngâ mihi,
Bilgehan
[1]cid:image003.png@01D60C35.4D782DD0
Bilgehan Berberoglu | Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ôhanga – The Treasury
Tel: N/A | Email/IM: [2][email address]
Visit us online at [3]https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on
[4]Twitter, [5]LinkedIn and [6]Instagram
Link: [7]File-List
Link: [8]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [9]themeData
Link: [10]colorSchemeMapping
show quoted sections
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