Goudie Sandra: Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care) Bill — Consideration of Report of Health Committee 
Goudie Sandra: Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care) Bill — Consideration of Report of Health Committee 
[Volume:612;Page:9566] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I am very pleased to speak to this bill. I recognise the incredible time effort and dedication of my colleague Dr Lynda Scott and I acknowledge the significant contribution made by a former MP Wyatt Creech who introduced this bill in 1999. My only disappointment is that this bill has languished for some 4 years or so and that the parents who have been concerned for their children who are not covered and protected in the manner they would like to see have seen it languish. 
 They will now be pleased to see that it has come to the forefront. I reiterate my acknowledgement of Dr Lynda Scott and all her fine efforts. 
I also would like to bring up the point that they did recognise the need for resourcing. That is very evident in the fact that we have only a limited number of services available to accommodate the provisions of this bill and those people who will come into its ambit. A lot more funding will be required. We have a shortage of specialists and caregivers. They are underfunded and a lot more training and services will be required to give them the ability to meet the needs and standards required by this bill. 
One of the reasons that this bill was brought into being is because of one Barry Ryder. Looking at some of the press releases regarding what happened to Barry Ryder one of the first things I saw was the statement: “Yesterday the court heard Ryder was institutionalised unable to cope out in the community and had borderline mental retardation. He was committed to Lake Alice Hospital in 1985 after he tried to rape and strangle two boys aged 6 and 7 near Timaru. It was also recognised and acknowledged that he could not be rehabilitated.” People like Barry Ryder would come into the ambit of this bill and have the security and care of the protected environment they need. This bill will provide that. Barry Ryder will then not do what he was doing which was molesting innocent young boys. Every time he was out in the community unsupervised he would offend. 
The judge said the prognosis for Ryder given that he had already received 12 months of treatment was not good. His assessment was that he presented an extremely high risk of reoffending yet not much could be done to make sure he was in a secure environment and not able to reoffend. The existing services that were supposed to provide that protection for the public failed in his regard and this bill will help to fill that gap and address that failure. It provides for the compulsory care of those with intellectual disabilities who because of their lack of understanding anti-social or violent behaviour need compulsory care. 
We have already heard the story of one young man. When he is around 45 and becomes frustrated he will become violent and angry. When people see an angry and violent 45-year-old man they do not necessarily realise that he has the intellect and capabilities of a 5-year-old. How do we deal with someone who is 45 and 6 foot 2? How do we control somebody like that and manage the situation in such a way that that person is not a threat to the public? How do we make sure that those people do not do themselves or anybody else harm? 
Barry Ryder’s family were most concerned about their ability to make sure that their son was provided for as they grew older. He is 45 and they themselves are aging. They know that there will come a time when they are not around and they are concerned about his future care in a secure environment. They are absolutely pleased that the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care) Bill is now passing through the House and feel somewhat comforted that their son will be looked after in the future. They believe it looks promising and so are looking forward to having some comfort in their declining years when they will no longer be able to ensure the safety and protection of their son. 
There are other cases including that of a young woman who was confined to police cells in Palmerston North. The judge actually apologised to her family stating that it was clearly unsatisfactory that a young woman in her situation mentally immature at 33 years of age was put into a prison cell. Under this bill that person will be able to be put into a secure and safe environment with support which is the sort of environment that she needs rather than being put into jail. It is not on that people with an intellectual disability come into the ambit of being declared criminals and put into jail. 
In the case of the young man previously mentioned the family were appreciative of the police’s understanding in that regard but that might not always be the case. In the young woman’s case it was late at night she had wandered away from the family property was eventually located by rescue helicopter and transferred to a psychiatric unit but was not admitted. The unit did not take her because she was not declared or considered to be a mental patient. She was a person with an intellectual disability. When she at 33 years of age threw a tantrum—because her capabilities were not the capabilities of a 33-year-old but those of a 5-year-old—the staff could not control her so they called in the police. How do people deal with those sorts of rages? They can deal with them in a more secure and supportive environment and that is what this bill provides. 
I know that a number of families out there will be so thankful knowing that their children—at whatever age—will be in a safe and secure environment when they can no longer look after them. That is what this bill does. It provides them with some comfort and measure of hope that that will happen for their children and that the public including our children will be protected from the likes of Barry Ryder who preyed on young boys at schools. 
I am very pleased to see that National had the foresight to ensure that funding was put aside for this bill. It is an excellent plus and we can only hope that it is still there and ongoing. I thank my colleague Dr Lynda Scott for all her efforts—it has been fantastic—and I acknowledge the efforts of Wyatt Creech in introducing this legislation in 1999. I am disappointed that it has languished for so long.