15 Feb 2012

Deadline for passage of Search and Surveillance Bill

7:30 am on 15 February 2012

Justice Minister Judith Collins says she hopes to pass the Search and Surveillance Bill before temporary police surveillance laws expire in mid-April.

Last August the Supreme Court ruled the use of hidden cameras by police in the investigation relating to the 2007 Urewera raids was illegal.

The Government pushed through urgent holding legislation to side-step the ruling, saying that otherwise important police investigations would have had to be stopped.

The Search and Surveillance Bill offers a permanent solution.

Ms Collins is confident the Government has the numbers to get it through the House.

But Labour and the Greens say such important legislation needs to have support across the House and major changes need to be made.