Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 February 2007. Volume:637;Page:7539. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4.  
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: Does he have confidence in his department; if so why? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 Yes but there is always room for improvement. 
Simon Power 
: Can he confirm that two guards have been suspended from Christchurch men’s prison for smuggling contraband and what further investigations are being conducted into allegations that recruits are too inexperienced to handle prisoners searches are not conducted properly and guards are fearful of identifying corruption? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I can confirm that two guards have been suspended and a small number are under investigation. We are boosting the training for all incoming prison officers and providing support for anyone—be that person a prison officer a probation officer or a member of the general public—who has information about any illegal activity taking place in our prisons. 
Simon Power 
: Does the Minister agree with the Prime Minister’s assertion that corruption is not widespread in the prison system following the statement in this morning’s Christchurch  
Press 
 made by a Christchurch prison guard who said: “It’s just so corrupt. It’s happening everywhere.”? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Yes I do agree with the Prime Minister. It is not rife. It is all very well for an individual to make claims. It is more difficult to substantiate those and we welcome any information that anyone might have to assist us with our inquiries. 
Simon Power 
: Is the Minister concerned that corruption amongst prison staff and management could be widespread further than Christchurch Prison and Rimutaka Prison given that earlier in the week he stated that it was only at Rimutaka; if so what action is he taking to ensure that all other prisons in New Zealand are subject to a similar review and are also not rife with contraband and corruption? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: It is a sad reality that contraband gets into every one of our prisons. It comes into them in a number of different ways. We have a large number of prisoners—over 7000—who spend too much of their time devising ways to bring it in. The vast majority of contraband coming into our prisons comes in through visitors and we are working to toughen up in that area. 
Simon Power 
: How does he reconcile the statement he made yesterday that the Department of Corrections Chief Executive Barry Matthews is “an exceptional chief executive” in agreement with the Prime Minister’s assessment of Mr Matthews with reports of corruption at Christchurch men’s prison Rimutaka Prison and the failings of the probation service in not recalling Graeme Burton on 5 December—as it could have done under the provisions of the Parole Act—when it was first made aware of his breaches of parole on that date and not 2 weeks later? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: There are currently a number of investigations under way relating to the Burton situation. I will not comment on those until those reports are out. Barry Matthews is an exceptional chief executive working in a very difficult area of social responsibility. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Over the roaring coming from the other side of the House I have not heard whether you have called me. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes I call the Hon Phil Goff. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: In respect of his comments about stopping contraband coming into prisons can he confirm that the drug testing currently being carried out shows that the level of drugs present in prison is the lowest it has ever been since the testing began and that the level of testing shows half the amount of drug taking that occurred when National was in Government? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I just happen to have those figures. In 1998 when the previous National Government was in charge of prisons 34 percent of inmates in our prisons were identified drug users. We have that figure down to below 15 percent now. 
Simon Power 
: How can the public have faith in the ability of the Department of Corrections to conduct an independent investigation into any issue regarding corruption and other matters when in respect of the release of convicted murderer Graeme Burton Barry Matthews—an exceptional chief executive according to the Minister and the Prime Minister—has already stated in the media that the investigation will clear the department of any wrongdoing when the report has yet to be released? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I suggest that member waits to see the results of that inquiry. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Can the member confirm that one of the biggest cultural differences to do with prisons is—and this is not taking away from the problem of contraband coming in—that in the last 10 years escapes have reduced by 80 percent so instead of people hopping out to get their contraband as they did under the National Government there is a little bit of a problem with people bringing it in? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I am happy to confirm that by any international standard our prison system is doing well. It has lower suicide rates it has severely reduced the number of escapes and the number of identified drug users in the system is half that of when the National Government was in charge of prisons. 
Simon Power 
: Why would anybody in an environment with LCD flat-screen TVs along with such things as under-floor heating and PlayStations want to leave or escape from a New Zealand prison? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: As usual that member gets it wrong. Prison is not a pleasant place for any sensible New Zealander and I would suggest that that member encourage as many New Zealanders as possible to stop breaking the law so they do not end up there. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Minister recall that under the National Government the only security around Manawatu Prison which is close to Mr Power’s electorate was a 6-wire farm fence and people used to hand contraband through the open windows? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Can I say that since we have come into Government we have built 17 kilometres of perimeter fencing around the prisons in this country to provide better security because that previous Government had ignored the issue.