Choudhary Ashraf: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Choudhary Ashraf: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5248] 
5.  
Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY (NZ Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Ethnic Affairs 
: What measures has the Government taken to enable non - English speaking New Zealanders to access Government services more easily? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister for Ethnic Affairs) 
: 
 Yesterday I launched the pilot of the Government-funded telephone interpreting service called Language Line. The service will encompass 30 languages and will be tested by six Government departments to enable better communication with non - English speaking New Zealanders. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What benefits will Language Line bring for ethnic New Zealanders Government departments and taxpayers? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Non-English speakers and those with limited language will have access to core Government services such as being able to lodge calls to the police in their own language. This is a practical solution to improve the ability of non-English speakers to settle quickly into our society. It will also increase the efficiency of Government departments and minimise costly confusion and error. 
Pansy Wong 
: Can he confirm that his new Language Line is contracted to an Australian company; if so why does he have no confidence in New Zealand interpretation service providers? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I am delighted to announce that 26 New Zealanders will be participating as translators with another 200 applications for interpreter positions being processed. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This Minister has been delaying question time all week because he will not answer a question. He was asked a simple question which I still do not know the answer to. The question was whether it was an Australian company. Instead he told us that it is employing New Zealanders. I suppose we are to take from that that it is an Aussie company and we are cheap labour. Why can we not have the answer to the question? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I wonder whether the Minister was going to mention that particular point. 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Yes I can confirm that an Australian-owned company was the most cost-effective. However I am delighted to report that it is also a company that is committed to employing New Zealanders. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. The Minister is answering and he is entitled to give an answer. I want him to be able to do so. Some of the suggestions that are being made would mean that he would not be able to answer any questions. 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think you can take it from some of the disorder that the practice this Minister indulges in—and he is not the only one but he is the one today—of changing his answer when he is asked to stand again and answer the question and the second time giving the correct answer holds the House in contempt. I hesitate to say that it invites disorder but that is much more likely to happen. The Minister was asked a question directly but did not answer it. He then stood again to answer the question and this time he did answer it clearly as he should have the first time. It puts all Opposition parties in a difficult position if they always have to ask two questions to get the answer that the Minister is clearly willing to give eventually but will not give when the question is asked first up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister did answer the question and it was not within the new supplementary question; it was on the same question. I insisted that he give that extra information. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Given that this country suffers now from serious shortages in health education infrastructure and police funding to name but a few why on earth do we have—according to his own press statement—300000 people in this country who now cannot speak English or speak very little English at all; how did that happen other than that he belongs to a Government that set out by its immigration policy to betray the interests of the New Zealand taxpayer? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Many of the people who will be using this line became permanent residents of this country when that member was Deputy Prime Minister and there were much lower English language criteria for immigration. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You would remember very well that in October 1995 the then National Party because of pressure on immigration matters changed the English language requirement. They complained about it and now that he has changed it again— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is a debating point. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: No it is not. I am getting to my point of order. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member had better get to it quickly or he will be leaving. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I will get to it when I feel like it and it is when I feel like it. I need to explain to you what I mean. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. Points of order must be made tersely. The member was not making his point of order tersely. He then compounded the matter by making a criticism. I am going to ask him to withdraw and apologise for that comment. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: What comment? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The one relating to me. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I did not make a comment about you. I said I would answer it and spend my own time doing that. If you do not like that I apologise. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will withdraw and apologise for his comments. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Here is my point. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I want the member to withdraw and apologise. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I withdraw and apologise. Here is my point. The Minister was asked about his responsibility. This Government has been in power now for 4 years and that Minister gets up makes a totally false statement does not answer the questions and you let him get away with it again. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No I did not. I listened very carefully to what the Minister said. He addressed that particular question.