Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:623;Page:18238] 
6.  
RON MARK (NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence in her Minister of Corrections and does she have any concerns regarding the findings of the report for the State Services Commissioner into the Department of Corrections Canterbury Emergency Response Unit? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 That report did raise issues of concern. I must advise the member that I have not had time to read the full report myself but I know that the Minister asked the State Services Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the unit only 6 months after he became the Minister and he is ensuring that the department responds to the findings of the inquiry. 
Ron Mark 
: Does she stand by her statement reported on 20 February 2000 that: “If you went to any member of the Labour caucus and said: ‘Did Helen tell the caucus at the time Cabinet was elected everyone was there on performance and there were plenty of others waiting to take their jobs?’ they will tell you it’s true.”; if so why have none of the last three Ministers of Corrections been held accountable for ignoring repeated calls for an inquiry into matters regarding the now infamous Canterbury Emergency Response Unit? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Mr Swain called for the State Services Commission to conduct this inquiry within 6 months of his becoming the Minister. I think that is pretty good. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question to the Prime Minister specifically referred to the former three Ministers of Corrections who the Prime Minister knows were repeatedly asked to do the same thing. It specifically asked why she has not brought them to account for their failures. I would like her to answer that question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Perhaps the Prime Minister can add just a little. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: What I am repeating is that Mr Swain took action. Perhaps Mr Mark did not make his case quite well enough publicly with regard to the previous Ministers. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Will the Prime Minister support the establishment of a genuinely independent prison inspectorate given the comments in the Duffy report critical of the way that complaints were handled in relation to the “goon squad” and given the comments made by the United Nations Committee Against Torture which expressed concern about the quality impartiality and credibility of investigations in prisons? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I would not reject the member’s suggestion out of hand. I think it is important that if there are abuses in the prison system they are exposed and dealt with. It does seem unfortunate that one has to have full-scale inquiries when things go wrong. I think trying to get a good system of following through on complaints is a good idea and if the member wants to explore it further with our justice and corrections spokespersons I invite him to do that. 
Ron Mark 
: Does the Prime Minister intend to demonstrate her oft-voiced commitment to high standards of accountability by bringing to account those managers at both regional and head office level for their roles in establishing a unit with minimum attention to its original purpose with no paper trail and with inadequate fiscal control and in a manner that was outside the usual processes required by the State Sector Act all of which enabled it to “develop an inappropriate militaristic culture”; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: It is worth making the point that this unit was set up in July 1999 and disbanded less than a year later. I think it was Nick Smith who was in charge at the time; I do not recall—it is so long since we had the misery of that experience. It is also fair to say that the Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections has himself said that serious mistakes were made regarding the management and oversight of that particular unit at the prison. The Minister has instructed Mr Byers and the department to analyse the State Services Commission report to see what further matters need to be addressed and they must respond to him within 6 months. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Has the Prime Minister asked the Minister of Corrections Mr Swain why he repeatedly denied calls for an inquiry into the “goon squad” in the South Island when he was the Minister and does she suspect that it was simply because of the concerted Opposition team effort to force him to do it that he actually had to do a U-turn on that earlier decision? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I cannot recall too much effort from the member but that would not be unusual. However I do commend Mr Mark for his dogged and persistent efforts to bring this matter to ministerial attention and I commend Paul Swain for acting on this matter within 6 months of becoming the Minister. 
Ron Mark 
: What responsibility does her Government feel it has to uphold the rights of those members of the emergency response unit who were brave enough to blow the whistle on the activities of the unit and who have subsequently been harassed traumatised and victimised in such a manner that it has affected their families in some cases caused marriage breakdowns and in other cases forced them out of the service all because they sought to uphold the honour and the integrity of the prison service and the law—or has the Government simply forgotten these people? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I do not have any knowledge of the matters that the member has raised. If he does have evidence that that is the case he should go to the Minister who I am sure would want to hold the chief executive responsible for putting it right. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Does the Prime Minister accept that the importance of having a genuinely independent prison inspectorate is greatly increased by the prisoner compensation bill in the name of her Minister of Justice which requires prisoners to exhaust internal channels before they can proceed to court and does she think a re-examination of that bill is in order? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I do not think a re-examination of that bill is in order but I do think there is logic in the earlier part of the member’s statement. The Government is prepared to look at whether there is a need for an independent inspectorate for prisons and given the member’s interest I commend him to work with the Minister of Justice on that. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I seek leave to table newspaper reports that show that successive corrections Ministers appointed by Helen Clark have tried to sweep this matter under the carpet including Mr Paul Swain. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those newspaper reports. Is there any objection? There is.