Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:623;Page:18663] 
6.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Police 
: Has he taken any action to increase police resources dealing with 111 calls since his press release endorsing the commissioner’s review of the system in October; if so what? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Police) 
: 
 I have advised the Commissioner of Police and this House that if the independent review of communication centres discloses a need for additional resources to be allocated to the centres then those resources will be provided. I also support the commissioner’s directive that all staff be fully aware that with priority one calls the nearest staff member should respond. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: How does the Minister explain these two contradictory statements made by him yesterday: “If the commissioner needs more resources we will make sure that he gets them.” and “The police always ask for more than they are going to get.”? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Easily. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! That is an answer to the question. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! The member knows that he cannot interject. He will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Obviously the rule is different this week from last week. Last week on an interjection you ruled that the member had not started speaking so it was OK to have an interjection. This week the member had not started speaking but the rule is different. All I seek is clarification. Can we just have the same rule for a couple of weeks in a row? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes well I made a mistake. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: As the Minister can explain these contradictory statements so easily would he do so now? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: It is obvious that when we do Budget rounds the police come with a big shopping basket. However the police have the resources they need and the commissioner can shift resources around if he needs to. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Ron Mark 
: Why has the Minister publicly stated and reinforced just now that it is up to the commissioner how extra resources for police are used when in a 2002 report from the commissioner to the Minister on Auckland policing issues the commissioner stated: “… staff funded from Government initiatives have been ring-fenced for specific areas. … the task-specific nature of these allocations has been eroding the flexibility historically available to me and to District Commanders to distribute resources across emerging problem areas in a timely or responsive manner.”; explain that? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Obviously the commissioner was always looking for more resources. But I can tell the House that since we became the Government we have provided over 1000 extra staff. In Auckland we have provided 370 extra staff in that time. Of course some of those things are ring-fenced; with others there is flexibility. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Consistently in this House we have trouble getting first answers to written questions to this Minister on time— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Please come to the point of order about this matter. 
Ron Mark 
: The point of order is that I specifically asked about the ring-fencing of police resources and the commissioner’s own statement to the Minister that that was impeding the police’s ability to utilise them. The Minister did not address the area of Government ring-fencing at all. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No. The Minister started out by not doing that but in the last part of his answer he most certainly did. 
Stephen Franks 
: Why did the Minister fail in the last Budget to get the extra $8 million at most needed for the extra 111 operators to fix that service for all New Zealanders when Mr Maharey managed to get from his Cabinet colleagues $239 million to pour all over Te Wananga o Aotearoa which is 29 times what the police needed and what does he now feel about Labour’s priorities? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The commissioner was asking for 22 additional staff there. He got 18 but of course he does have the power to shift more there if he needs to. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: If as the Minister has told the House today the police have all the resources they need how does he explain the circumstances of Iraena Asher the Bentley family the young woman in the Waikato and the lack of public confidence in the 111 system? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The police have had nearly 1000 extra staff since we became the Government. National was going to take 540 away. But this matter is subject to the review and I want to wait for the outcome of that review and that is what is happening. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister will now come to the question actually asked. Please re-ask it. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: If as the Minister has told the country today the police have all the resources they need how does he explain the never-ending series of calamities with the 111 system and the public’s lack of confidence in it? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The police—as does every other department—go through Budget rounds. They are annual. They will ask for more money I am sure. But I am prepared to wait for the outcome of the review which is exactly what should happen. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the Minister did address that question.