Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12764] 
9.  
RON MARK (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: How many female prison officers have been interviewed counselled or disciplined for having inappropriate relationships with male inmates since Labour came to office in 1999? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 The public prison service employs around 500 women corrections officers. I am advised that in the period since December 1999 five female staff have been investigated for inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with male inmates. Of those one was dismissed one resigned two were not proven while the staff members were employed and one case is still under investigation. 
Ron Mark 
: Do the figures he has quoted include the Invercargill case reported in the  
Southland Times 
 on Saturday the case reported in the  
Waikato Times 
 on Saturday regarding Ms GeenaWickes and the rapist William Sinamoni the case of Raewyn Houia and David James Shepherd the six cases that are alleged to have happened within 6 months in Waikeria Prison the two cases that are alleged to have occurred in Paparua prison the three cases that are alleged to have— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please come to the point. 
Ron Mark 
: —at Paremoremo or have those— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This member has a frequent habit of asking extraordinarily long questions that are more like speeches. Most other members know there is a limitation on questions. There is no need to go into every case in that kind of question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I listened to the member and he had got to the point where I wanted him to finish. I hope that was the end of what he was saying. Was that the end? 
Ron Mark 
: Yes. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know the question is embarrassing but if I were to ask you to do a word count on some of the questions that have already been asked today I am very confident that my question which has only one clause remaining would be shorter than some of those questions. I object to being interrupted and sat down simply because my question is embarrassing. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Just a minute. That is why I allowed the member to go on and ask his question. If he has one clause to go I will allow him to complete it. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is an important matter and the practice keeps happening fairly frequently. I refer you to Standing Order 364(1): “Questions must be concise and not contain—(a) statements of facts and names of persons unless they are strictly necessary to render the question intelligible and can be authenticated”. That question could simply have been summarised as: “Given the number of cases in which there have been relations …”. The list of names was not strictly necessary surely in that kind of question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: The problem with the response from Dr Cullen is that we have just been told there are only five cases and my colleague has recited a litany of way above five cases. We want to know where the Minister is getting his information from because what is being asserted by my colleague is public knowledge now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes and that is a perfectly valid comment to make. That does not really relate to the point of order. I refer the member to Speaker’s ruling 142/3 which goes back to 1969: “It is irregular to preface a supplementary question with the words ‘Is the Minister aware’ and then proceed with a massive statement of fact.” I allowed the member quite a lot of latitude but he had got to the edge of my tolerance. I just say to him that his last sentence had better be very brief indeed. 
Ron Mark 
: Do I get to repeat the whole lot? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No you do not. 
Ron Mark 
: Or have those cases been kept from the Minister on the basis that many were never formally investigated? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: In the information I have there were two additional cases but they were before the time frame that the member asked the question about. I can assure the member that any allegations of improper relationships between corrections officers and inmates are taken seriously. If the facts are proven the officers are dismissed. 
Georgina Beyer 
: What is the appropriate role that women corrections officers play in the public prisons system? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Women corrections officers play a very important role in our prisons. Given that many male inmates have violent and negative attitudes towards women positive role models from women in positions of authority help in changing those attitudes. It is also important that the make-up of corrections officers reflects the profile of the community that inmates are returning to. 
Ron Mark 
: Has the Minister heard the recruiting advertisements running on the Breeze that state in part that the Department of Corrections is seeking “new people positive people for a new prison a new approach a new style of management”; if he has can he tell an aspiring 21-year-old beauty therapist who may be considering a career in the department what changes to selection staffing monitoring and training he has implemented in order to protect vulnerable female prison officers from male inmates who by their track records have acquired doctorates in manipulation—or does he not care about that? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There were three questions there. The Minister can answer two of them. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I have heard of those advertisements. I think they are fabulous advertisements. They encourage more people to get involved in the corrections service and I hope the member supports that. In reality women corrections officers are needed in prison. This is the 21st century not the 19th century and I suggest the member gets with the programme.