12. Question No. 12—JusticeCHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 12—Justice12. CHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi) to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all her actions and statements?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister of Justice): Yes I do and in particular I stand by my statement earlier this week that money talks. And money talks when it comes to investments and investments that this Government has made particularly when it comes to victims. Over the last four Budgets this side of the House has invested a total amount of $130.183 million in support for our victims. Over the last four Budgets of National—Budget '17 nil; Budget '16 nil; Budget '15 nil; Budget '14 nil. On this side of the House yes we believe in the rights of victims and we're prepared to put our money where our mouth is.Chris Penk: Does the Minister think that she'll be more successful in obtaining support services funding for victims than previous Ministers of Justice under this Government?Hon Chris Hipkins: Certainly under the last Government!Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Certainly more than the last Government.Chris Penk: Point of order. My question was very specifically in relation to previous Ministers of Justice under this Government. I don't believe that was even nearly addressed.DEPUTY SPEAKER: You can ask it again.Chris Penk: Thank you Mr Speaker. Same supplementary: does the Minister think that she will have more success in advocating for funding for supporting victims than the previous Ministers of Justice under this Government?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: The previous Ministers of Justice on this side of the House—as I've said incrementally every single year there has been an uplift in the amount of funding that has gone to victims. Budget '18 $13.467 million; Budget '19 $43.986 million; Budget 2020 $3.038 million; Budget 2022 $66.6 million. I go back to the ACT and National record on investment into victims: Budget '17 nil—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The Minister has answered.Chris Penk: How is it that the Minister can claim that her Government has provided better services for victims when court cases lasting longer than 16 months involving victims of serious crime have leapt from 900 to approximately 3000 more than tripling under this Government?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Look as I've said the focus on victims is critical and we are taking an all-of-Government approach to the way that we are dealing particularly with victims of serious crime but what I will note just briefly is that one of the biggest issues that has pillared and impinged upon the courts' ability to be able to do what they need to do to process victims through the courts has been the impacts of COVID.Chris Penk: Why should non-fatal strangulation victims be assured by her statement that The focus of this Government is to join up the siloed parts of the justice system." when over 1600 missed out on support due to the Government's failure to deliver a cross-agency strangulation initiative as announced in Budget 2020?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: As the member will be well aware there has been significant investment by this Government to ensure that there is an all-of-Government response to victims of crime whether that's in the way we are approaching the way that we deal with victims when it comes to their experiences through the court. We've had a significant uplift in terms of victim support advisers going through the court. There's been significant uplift in terms of the amount of funding that is going directly to victims of crime. There's been a focus on the way that we're ensuring all agencies come into the courtroom and provide support through experiences and that's in particular through Te Ao Mārama. So to his point I refute the proposition in his question.Chris Penk: Why does the Minister think the outcomes for victims have been getting worse under this Government including prior to the period of COVID-19 disruption?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: There's no evidence to show that that's the case.Chris Penk: Point of order. I did point out a number of different statistics that the Minister has accepted. So I don't believe that she's addressed the question in merely rejecting the premise of the question.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think it has actually been addressed in my opinion."