Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3345] 
5.  
STEVE CHADWICK (NZ Labour—Rotorua) 
 to the  
Minister of Local Government 
: What actions has he taken to review the effectiveness of legislation protecting the public from dog attacks? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Local Government) 
: 
 Enforcement of dog control is the responsibility of territorial authorities. I have written to all mayors seeking feedback from them on the effectiveness of the current legislation. To assist with the gathering of relevant information my department has at my request sent a comprehensive survey to all territorial authorities and detailed responses are expected by next week. I have also been discussing with my Cabinet colleagues a range of options to deal with this problem. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Does the Minister feel that any law change should involve public input? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Yes an opportunity for public submissions through a select committee process is the best way of drafting effective law that will work. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Does he agree that with appropriate legislation and enforcement a significant number of the expected 300 serious dog attacks resulting in inpatient hospital treatment could be prevented over the next year; if so why has he not acted earlier? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I am confident that any law change will have a positive effect on this issue. 
Dail Jones 
: Is the Minister including in the action he has recently taken the fact that the Local Government Law Reform Bill (No 2) which relates to dog control was No. 40 on the Order Paper yesterday but as a result of his intervention it is now No. 41 on the Order Paper having been superseded by the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill which obviously the Government considers to be more important? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: We had the opportunity today to make the Local Government Law Reform Bill (No 2) No. 1 on the Order Paper. The ACT party prevented that. 
Larry Baldock 
: In the light of the revelation that there was a mistake or a mix-up regarding New Zealand First opposition to leave being sought yesterday for sending the Local Government Law Reform Bill (No 2) back to the select committee would the Minister consider seeking leave of this House again in the hope that ACT might now reconsider its hard-nosed position and allow the House to address the issues raised by Mr John Anderson today? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: ACT had that opportunity today already and— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I know what the member is going to say and he will be perfectly correct. The Minister has no responsibility for the ACT party. He may address the final part of the question as he has responsibility for it. 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Could the final bit of the question be repeated? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes could the member please repeat the final bit? 
Larry Baldock 
: The final bit of the question was: would the Minister consider seeking leave of the House again so that the Local Government Reform Bill (No 2) could be sent back to the select committee? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I will take any opportunity I can to get that bill to a select committee. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not think it is appropriate that a Minister should mislead the public during question time in the way that the current Minister is doing. It is not a matter of leave for the Government to be able to progress this. The Government runs the Order Paper. The Minister was able to convince his colleagues to put the bill on the Order Paper. It can be dealt with by this House. The House could go into Committee and the bill could be recommitted by motion back to a select committee. So the Minister should not mislead the public about the position the Government is currently in. The Minister is blocking the bill’s progress. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Might I make two points. Firstly it is somewhat embarrassing for that member that his own colleague sought leave to have the bill placed at No. 1 and indeed only the ACT party objected to that. [ 
Interruption 
] The member should listen for a moment: if we get to the Order Paper next week or possibly late on Thursday— 
Ron Mark 
: Tomorrow! 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen:  
Possibly I do not think so looking at the length of time that question time is taking today; I suspect that it will be next week. 
Ron Mark 
:Well take urgency! 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Oh tempt me—I will take urgency for half of the Order Paper if that is what the member would like! The Government will be putting this bill at No. 1 on the Order Paper and moving to recommit it to the select committee immediately. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have been very generous today and the generosity stops. When points of order are heard they will be heard in silence. The next member to offend will have an early end to his or her question time today. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My point of order is that both those previous points of orders were not. They also made comments with regard to the ACT party and since those members said them I think I should be entitled to set out our position. The Government told me that the bill was defective and that it needed to go back to a select committee. However it said that it did not know what it would do with the bill. I believe that we should not send it back until we do know. Now we are being told that even though the Government believes that the bill is defective and it will not fix the problem that it is its No. 1 priority. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has made an interesting point and as he knows he has added to the debate rather than to the point of order.