E. Wider human rights scrutiny measures 55 Although New Zealand has a longstanding commitment to the development of international human rights standards, it is less consistent in fully incorporating those standards in the development of legislation and policy. Human rights considerations are generally not at the heart of public policy decision making. New Zealand has no overarching cross Government strategy to ensure that human rights are known and understood by all duty bearers and rights holders, and that a human rights approach to legislative and policy development is routinely applied by all Government departments. 56 The New Zealand Cabinet Manual expressly requires Ministers to advise the Cabinet of any “international obligations” affected by proposed legislation.30 However, the Commission’s engagement in the legislative process has revealed that this requirement is often overlooked and there is seldom any transparent assessment of New Zealand’s international human rights obligations in the development of legislation. 57 Many NGOs and civil society organisations have stated that they want to see a dedicated Human Rights Select Committee established that would scrutinise legislation and section 7 reports, and conduct thematic inquiries. This has been raised by some submitters in relation to this review. 58 In 2014 the Standing Orders Committee considered whether it was appropriate in the New Zealand context to establish a Human Rights Select Committee. It concluded that it was not, stating:31 It could be difficult to maintain the membership of such a committee, and in principle, this proposal could potentially marginalize important matters that already seem to be too confined to legal and academic circles. …However, there is another part to the equation: as well as drawing the attention of members to Bill of Rights matters, there should be an increased emphasis on expressing these issues in ways that are comprehensible, not only for members, but for the public in general. The answer is not to shut NZBORA matters away in a specialist committee, as that could in fact be counter-productive. New Zealand has a well-regarded system of subject select committees that have multiple functions and exercise general oversight of policy, legislative, and administrative matters within their subject areas. Bill of Rights scrutiny should be part of a mainstream discussion about legislative quality that takes place in all subject select committees and is applied in all policy contexts… 30 31 Section 7.60 of the Cabinet Manual, Cabinet Office, 2008. Supra note 32 at 15. Page 19 of 93 Human Rights Commission submission to the Human Rights Committee in relation to New Zealand’s 6th periodic review under the ICCPR