Boscawen John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Boscawen John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:670;Page:16725] 
5. 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
 to the  
Attorney-General 
: Is he planning to amend the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill to provide an explicit guarantee of free public access and provide that all negotiated agreements be passed by Parliament? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General) 
: 
 The member should be aware that individual Ministers do not have the power to amend bills before the House. That is the prerogative of the legislature not the executive. However I can confirm—I am sorry if I sound like Sir Geoffrey—that it is my intention to recommend that Parliament amend clause 27 of the bill to make it explicit that charging for public access in the common marine and coastal area is not permitted and that negotiated agreements for customary marine title will require legislation thereby ensuring full parliamentary and public scrutiny of any such agreements. 
Hon John Boscawen 
: Why is he proposing to recommend changes to the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill when his colleagues on the Maori Affairs Committee chaired by the honourable Tau Henare rejected those suggestions and will he support a free vote on the bill to allow Mr Henare and the rest of the National backbench to vote against the bill? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: I cannot comment on the proceedings of the Maori Affairs Committee because I have no responsibility for it. The select committee is part of the legislature and I am part of the executive. However I can say that I have listened very carefully to the submissions. I have been out on the road listening to people at hui and public meetings and I believe that these approaches I have adopted will address the legitimate concerns of many good people in New Zealand. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Just before I call the honourable member I tell Labour members on this occasion that a member of another party has asked a question and that member has the right to hear the answer. It has been very difficult to hear answers. 
Hon John Boscawen 
: Has he received agreement from the Maori Party to vote for his amendments and to provide for an explicit guarantee of free public access and parliamentary scrutiny of negotiated agreements; if not does he have the numbers to pass these amendments? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: Those are matters of parliamentary procedure and when the issue comes before Parliament in the next few days the member will have his answer. 
Hon David Parker 
: What caused the change between 24 September 2010 when the Attorney-General promised there would be a full select committee process for the bill and last week when his Government members caused the bill to be reported back without the amendments that today he says he supports? 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON 
: Again because I am not responsible for the Maori Affairs Committee I cannot talk about the parliamentary procedures undertaken by that select committee. I can say to the honourable member however that the Government has listened very carefully to the submissions it recognises the legitimate concerns that have been raised by many good New Zealanders and it is endeavouring to address them. I say to the member that I have also read very carefully Labour’s submission on the subject which was written by Dr Michael Cullen and which I thought was very good. That was the first submission; of course Labour’s position has changed three or four times since then.