Pillay Lynne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Pillay Lynne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7518] 
11.  
LYNNE PILLAY (NZ Labour—Waitakere) 
 to the  
Minister for Courts 
: What progress has been made in reducing the level of overdue fines and reparations? 
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister for Courts) 
: 
 Initiatives by this Government have led to a reduction in the level of overdue unpaid fines from $334 million as of June 2002 to $306 million as of June 2003. This is the first year that the total of overdue unpaid fines has gone down and the best year ever in terms of the amount collected. During that period the value of unpaid reparations has also reduced dramatically from $30.6 million as of June 2002 to $22 million as of 30 June. That is a reduction of $8.9 million or a 28 percent reduction. That reflects this Government’s commitment to helping the victims of crime. 
Lynne Pillay 
: Why is the total for overdue fines reported in the 2002 annual report of the Department for Courts different from the figure of $334 million that the Minister has just quoted? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: In the department’s 2002 annual report the total overdue fines figure was a subset of the total unpaid fines figure and was shown at $288 million. That figure was an error because of a mismatch of data in the conversion from the Wanganui computer to the new collection system. The new system provides much more robust figures and the correct figure for overdue fines for 2001-02 is $334 million. 
Murray Smith 
: How much is outstanding in overdue reparation arising from agreements reached at family group conferences and what is the Government doing to address the recovery of those amounts? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: I cannot give the member an off-the-cuff figure immediately but I will get it for him. However I can assure him that everything is being done to collect reparations. It is a priority of this Government. 
Ron Mark 
: Has the Minister seen reports that in the Whangarei court a judge ordered the writing-off of $10000 worth of fines for an individual who had 40 convictions that in Hastings a judge ordered the write-off of $18000 worth of fines for a man who had 62 traffic infringements and that a 19-year-old had $54000 worth of fines remitted; if he has has he expressed concern to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Police about their undermining as is happening the credibility of fines as a sentencing option and public regard for the administration of justice and respect for the law—taken out of his book—a principle that the Minister’s ministry is committed to protecting? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: It would be wrong of me to comment on the individual judges’ decisions in those cases. Bu I can assure the member that the Department for Courts and this Government take this issue very seriously and we are putting in a tremendous amount of extra resource to ensure that fines are paid promptly and on time. We are giving as many avenues as possible for individuals to pay their fines promptly. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There are two parts to my question. One is whether the Minister has seen reports. The second part of my question is what representations he has made to the Minister of Police and the Minister of Justice. Although I appreciate having greater knowledge of what he is doing he did not address those two very specific points at all. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister did I thought. 
Murray Smith 
: Given that the Government does not know how much is outstanding from family group conference reparation agreements will the Minister admit that the progress in reducing the level of overdue reparations just trumpeted by him is a totally hollow boast? 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Certainly not! This is the first time that outstanding reparations owed to victims of crime have gone down and gone down by $8 million. I would have thought that that member would say: “Congratulations! Well done! Good job!”.