Distribution of papers
Delivery to Ministers' offices
All Cabinet and committee agendas, papers and minutes are delivered to Ministers' offices by a Cabinet Office messenger. This includes copies for departments. The Cabinet Office does not deliver documents directly to departments. There should be clearly understood procedures in both Ministers' offices and departments for the storage, handling and delivery of papers to departments. All papers should be transferred between Ministers' offices and departments (and within departments) in a secure manner, by hand if at all possible. Papers should not be sent by fax.
Distribution of papers using couriers
Ministerial offices that use courier services to distribute Cabinet and Cabinet committee papers to departments should ensure that the papers are placed in a sealed envelope before handing papers to the courier. It is not acceptable to send papers by courier if the papers have not been securely enveloped.
Cabinet papers sent to a Minister outside the parliamentary complex, by VIP Transport or a courier, must be placed in an approved lockable bag. Lockable bags are available from Ministerial Services.
The waybill
When messengers deliver Cabinet documents, or when the Minister's office collects them from the Cabinet Office, the person receiving the documents must sign a waybill. The purpose of the waybill is to ensure the Cabinet Office has a record of the despatch, destination, number of copies sent and identity of the person taking receipt of the papers in Ministers' offices.
The person receiving the documents must print their name clearly in the column provided so they can be identified if papers are unable to be located in an office or if there is a query about the number of copies received. This must be done while the messenger waits. Papers will not be left if there is no one present with authorisation to sign for receipt of the documents.
The person signing the waybill must immediately report to the messenger or the Cabinet Office registry any discrepancy between the documents listed on the waybill and those delivered. Once documents have been signed for, they become the responsibility of the Minister's office.
Ministerial staff who take receipt of papers must be authorised to do so by their Minister. A form provided for this purpose is available from the Cabinet Office registry. Senior private secretaries should list on the form the names of staff who are to be authorised to sign waybills. The form is then signed by the Minister and returned to the Cabinet Office. Each time authorisation for new ministerial staff is required, the Minister's office must either complete a new form, or provide a letter signed by the Minister.
Collecting papers
Occasionally the Cabinet Office emails a Minister's office, requesting it to collect a large paper from the Cabinet Office. These requests are only sent when a paper is too bulky to be distributed by a messenger.
Last box message
Late each afternoon, the Cabinet Office emails all ministerial offices to let them know when the last delivery of papers for the day is about to leave, or has been completed.
How to read distribution lists
Distribution lists on committee agendas, papers and minutes comprise the following:
- name of the committee - each Minister who is a member of the committee receives a copy by virtue of their membership and is therefore not individually named;
- Ministers who are not members of the committee but are to receive the document as they have an interest in the issue (they are listed by portfolio or name); and
- chief executives and other government officials who are to receive the document as they have an interest in the issue.
Example:
Copies to:
Cabinet Policy Committee
Chief Executive, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Secretary for Justice
State Services Commissioner
Chief Executive, Te Puni Kokiri
Minister for Building and Construction
Chief Executive, Department of Building and Housing
Minister is on the committee: for example, the Minister of State Services
The office of the Minister of State Services would receive two copies: one for the Minister, since the Minister is on the committee, and one for the State Services Commissioner.
Minister is not on the committee: for example, the Minister for Building and Construction
The office of the Minister for Building and Construction would get two copies: one for the Minister and one for the Chief Executive, Department of Building and Housing.
The indenting of some titles on distribution lists is a device to assist the Cabinet Office in the distribution of documents, indicating that the indented item is to be delivered to the same office as the item above.
