3. Pike River Mine Disaster—Evidence Availability to FamiliesRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterPike River Mine Disaster—Evidence Availability to Families3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements on Pike River mine; if so how?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes; in the context in which they were made.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is he aware that there is a drift runner used to transport workers in the mine located near a borehole by the slimline shaft and that there is photographic evidence of this?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I have no reason to disbelieve the member and I can advise him that if we proceed—as we proceed with the most recent project which is to work with the families on unmanned entry using much-improved technology compared with 6 years ago when that video or photo may have been taken—then we may be able to see in more detail and get more evidence of what went on not just with that vehicle but in the mine in respect of the explosion.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If that is true Prime Minister then why when he met with the Pike River families in January did he refuse their request for an HD camera to be put down the boreholes near the slimline shaft which has already happened before with the official contractor? Why did he refuse—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been asked.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I do not recall that I did but I do remember a pretty intensive discussion with the families. I do remember them recording their grief their frustration their concern for getting manned entry into the mine and a subsequent agreement that we would have a project focused on unmanned entry because that is a safe way to try to meet some of their objectives such as finding out whether there is further evidence related to the deaths of their loved ones or related to the cause of the disaster.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If a drilling contractor has obtained the photographic evidence of what is down through that shaft into that mine and the families have asked to also have that information from a later examination of a camera going down there why did they refuse them in January when they asked specifically for that right?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I do not recall such a request or such a refusal. It is possible that the request was made; I cannot see any reason why it would have been refused. We do not have the photographic evidence. It will be held by the police or the company. In response to the request of the families I understand that by the end of this week all the relevant video will be made available to them again as it has been in the past.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact that the drilling contractor who has been paid almost $5000 per month for two drill rigs to do nothing for 3 years now is contractually bound to not make any comments or statements upon any matters arising out of his service to the Pike River mine and that his contract has a specific section gagging him from media comment as is supplied in this document here?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am not familiar with the terms with either the contractor or who he is contracted with or the nature of the contract itself.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If it all is as he says why is there a specific extensive confidentiality clause that prevents the drilling contractor from talking to the media about what he has seen and has evidence of?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: That is a question the member would need to address to the people who wrote the contract and the reason for it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I'm asking you.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I do not know about any aspect of that arrangement.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If Solid Energy is owned by the New Zealand taxpayer and if he and his colleagues have nothing to hide and do not think it is a laughing matter that 29 people lost their lives then why will he not release the drilling contractor from his contract and grant the Pike River families the right to see this information that was taken from within those boreholes?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: On the face of it I cannot see any reason why all the relevant material cannot be seen by the families. In fact that was the process of the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy where the families had legal representation through the length of the whole commission. The commission had full powers to obtain all and any evidence that it wanted. There is an Official Information Act process. As we have said the families have used that as I understand it recently. The police are turning over all the video evidence and video evidence was made available to the families at a much earlier stage as well.Hon Damien O'Connor: Can the Prime Minister provide a reason why the Police have from day one done everything possible to keep evidence from the families including videos and shots from inside the mine?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: In the first place as the member would know we have no responsibility for the operational decisions of the Police. It would be wrong actually for me to even try to answer a question about its process. Secondly he can ask the Police if he wants. Thirdly from what I have seen there is no evidence that Police has behaved improperly. Nor can I think of any reason why it would.Richard Prosser: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In respect of the Prime Minister's last answer to that supplementary question Speaker's ruling 175/3 states that There is no convention that Ministers are not answerable to the House for operational matters in the departments or agencies falling within their portfolio areas. Even though a Minister may not have legal control the Minister assumes the political responsibility to the House to answer such questions. Legal responsibility and political responsibility are different things."Mr SPEAKER: And what is the member's point?Richard Prosser: The Prime Minister was declining to answer Mr O'Connor's question on the grounds that it was an operational matter.Mr SPEAKER: The Prime Minister did not decline to answer the question. The Prime Minister addressed the question and certainly to my satisfaction."