Alexander Marc: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Question Time 
Alexander Marc: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Question Time 
[Volume:610;Page:7434] 
7.  
MARC ALEXANDER (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does he agree that a national database of school students would assist in identifying truant and transient students as proposed in Labour Party policy for the last three elections? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Yes. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Does the Minister agree with his ministry officials who told the select committee that the best way to deal with consistent absenteeism was not to prosecute parents but was through collaboration with professional workers in the external agencies and if the ministry is not going to be required to use the law what is the point of having such a law? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Generally I agree that that is right. They do of course on occasion use the law. 
Jill Pettis 
: Does the Minister believe that the proposed database is in fact the be-all and end-all to fixing this problem? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No I do not. One only has to look at the other side of this House to work out that turning up is not enough. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member knows that that was just designed to create disorder. He will withdraw and apologise for that last comment—after his first words. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Noting that the Minister told Parliament yesterday that a national database was not Labour policy in 2002 when it was; that officials said a review on truancy would be completed by December last year but it was not; and that they said there would be a report on database options by June this year and there was not are the Minister himself and his ministry getting advice from immigration officials on how to lie in unison? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That question is not in order. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Yesterday the Minister said quite categorically that it was not Labour Party policy. That is a direct contradiction of what he said today. If that is not incorrect what is it? I think the Minister should be accountable for giving such incorrect information 2 days in a row. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The comment “lie in unison” was out of order and should not be used. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not quite sure what redress I have when the member opposite makes up comments from yesterday. I was very careful yesterday to indicate that I was not absolutely sure on the matter. As has been clear from the question I did not remember accurately but I did put some put real brackets around my answer yesterday. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: All I am saying is this: that is getting into an argument not a point of order. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I seek leave to table the Minister’s answer yesterday. It was not part of the 2002 pre-election policy. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. Now I apologise to Mr Alexander. I did not realise the member had not had the first supplementary question. I call the member now. 
Marc Alexander 
: In the light of the Minister’s statement in the House yesterday that “one of the things we learnt in Government was that setting up massive computer systems without knowledge of how they were going to be used is not the best approach” did he discover this problem in Labour’s first term; if so why was the database still Labour’s election policy in 2002? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: We have discovered quite a lot more in the past 12 months around schools’ ability to interact with central government agencies via databases. What is clear is that there are at least 700 schools that do not have that ability and that is something I was certainly not aware of when this policy was put into the 2002 election manifesto. 
Metiria Turei 
: Does the Minister agree that the most important factor in managing truancy is not the keeping of a simple list of students but rather their active engagement in education; if so what is the Minister doing to provide support to returned students such that they want to stay in school and not wag? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I agree with the basic premise behind the question. We do need to make sure that students are enthused about learning and staying engaged in education. That is why the Government is focusing on quality teaching and teaching that is effective for all students regardless of their background. What is clear is that students who are doing well at school and are engaged and focused do not truant. 
Marc Alexander 
: In the light of the admission to a select committee last week by Ministers Goff Dalziel and Dyson that their agencies failed Bailey Kurariki a habitual truant will he as Minister of Education follow this honourable path and admit that in this case there were and are things that the agencies under his control could have done better? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Certainly. 
Marc Alexander 
: Can the Minister explain why setting up a national student database to stop truancy is not a priority for the Government yet legislation that stops our returned servicemen from smoking at their local Returned Services Association is? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister can answer the first part of the question. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It is not a question of having problems doing the legislation; it is a question of schools having the means and the systems to interact with a national database. They do not. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister think it is appropriate that at least two-thirds of secondary students on the roll of the Correspondence School are considered at risk when those kids have demonstrated an unwillingness to attend school and would therefore find it difficult to have the self-discipline to learn at home? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Again I agree with the basic premise that underlines the question. The Correspondence School is not an ideal option for students at risk. The one point I would make to the member is that over the last few years between 1996 and 2002 in both primary and secondary schools truancy has dropped. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister expect truancy officers to do their job effectively when their funding has not increased for 5 years and some truancy services like the one in Patea pay their staff from community grants to maximise the resources the ministry gives them; and is this what Labour meant in 1996 when it promised to adequately fund efforts to combat truancy? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think that the problem in Patea is related to community confidence with the school. That is why I understand there are only about 80 children on the roll of the secondary school. It is a much wider issue than truancy there. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: I seek leave to table the pages from the 2001-02 financial reviews that report the Ministry of Education statements referred to in my question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that. Is there any objection? There is. 
Marc Alexander 
: I seek leave to table Labour’s education policy from the 1996 1999 and 2002 elections. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table the coalition agreement between United Future and the Labour Party which shows that at that point in time this matter was never raised. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that agreement. Is there any objection? There is.