26 group  of  departmental  officers.  According  to  Hanan  “the  system  is  in  fact characterised by a high degree of flexibility and empiricism".¹⁸ 100.  In this period the law reform responsibilities of the Department of Justice were performed by the Advisory Branch, which also acted as the legal section of the Department and therefore had very little time to spend on law reform revision. 101.  In  relation  to  the  role  of  the  Department  of  Justice  the  Hanan  Report  stated (pages 22-23): It is through the Department of Justice that the Government’s role in law reform is expressed,  and  that  department  should  continue  to  have  direct  responsibility  to advise the Government on policy aspects of all proposals. In addition, the increase in the amount and depth of law reform that is hoped for will require much more time to be devoted to research, study and the detailed scrutiny of possible solutions to a problem. Some of this can and doubtless will be done by the Universities and by special consultants but much of it will remain a function of the department. The resultant legislation will also place heavier burdens on the Law Drafting Office. There  is  a  need  therefore  for  a  considerable  strengthening  and  expansion  of  the Law Drafting Office and of the Advisory Branch of the Department of Justice. 102.  In addition to the LR Committee and the Department of Justice there existed two specialised committees.   103.  The   Rules   Committee   was   established   under   section   2   of   the   Judicature Amendment Act 1930. The membership of the Rules Committee consisted of the Chief Justice, four other Judges of the Supreme Court, the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, and three barristers or solicitors nominated by the Council of the  New  Zealand  Law  Society.  The  concurrence  of  the  Chief  Justice  and  four other  members  of  the  Rules  Committee  was  required  to  make  an  Order  in Council  altering  the  rules  of  the  Code  of  Civil  Procedure  or  prescribing  new rules  relating  to  the  practice  and  procedure  of  the  Supreme  Court  or  Court  of Appeal. 104.  The second committee was the Company Law Advisory Committee, established in 1963 under section 472 of the Companies Act 1955. The Secretary of Justice chaired the Company Law Advisory Committee and its membership was made up of representatives of the legal and accountancy professions, and the business world.  Its  task  was  to  consider  and  advise  on  problems,  whether  legal  or practical, that were referred to it by the Minister of Justice.                                                  18   J R Hanan, above n4, 10.