Hutchison Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members Questions to Ministers 
Hutchison Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:618;Page:14477] 
12.  
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: Does he believe that public money used for prison consultation should be used prudently and accounted for scrupulously? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 Yes. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: If the Minister were to view an invoice for $4965 for corporate box hire fees which prison consultation providers used to entertain personnel from his department in April 2003 would he commit to a full investigation of that doubtful arrangement; if not why not? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I am aware that some staff of the department were engaged in a corporate box. Mind you there are many people who get taxpayers’ money and engage in corporate boxes—including probably that member as a member of Parliament. 
Georgina Beyer 
: I would be interested to know whether the Minister has received any reports on the results of consultation around the new Spring Hill prison. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Yes. I have seen a number of reports around consultation. In those reports I note that Paul Hutchison the local member has opposed the prison and current and former National members have urged people to cite wahi tapu issues in order to oppose it. That is interesting given that Don Brash wants to build up to 10 new prisons under his new parole policy even though a large number of National MPs have consistently opposed the building of the prison at Spring Hill. There is a word for that. It starts with “h” and I am not allowed to use it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Mr Hide advised me earlier that his question is a little longer than usual. I am allowing it. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does it concern the Minister that Dennis Parsons of Indepth Forensic Ltd found that the Department of Corrections contract was “financially generous to the Lands Trust in the value accorded to the services rendered; that Corrections made duplicate payments of over $40000; and that no time-sheets were kept until the 30th of June 2002 but that the completed time-sheets after that date appear to have been of little real use other than to record the number of hours worked for payroll purposes” or is he sticking to his answer given to Parliament yesterday that Mr Parsons’ report states no such thing? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Firstly I did not say that it did not state any such thing. I think the member accused the Parsons report of talking about the Department of Corrections being a whitewash which I am certain it did not say. But I will say that the department in its own report stated that some of the payments had been excessive that the department had been quite explicit about trying to make sure that double-dipping did not occur that it was quite frank about some of the concerns that had been expressed and that it has taken steps to ensure that does not happen again. I am certain that they will not happen in the future. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Who was the person responsible in his department who allowed corrections personnel to take part in the corporate box party paid for by prison consultancy providers and does he intend taking disciplinary action? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: As the member knows the nature of disciplinary action has nothing to do with the Minister. Secondly as I said there were people involved in that but as I have said a number of people do such things. What is more concerning is a member who claps his leader when he says he will get tough on crime and build more prisons and opposes a prison when it is to be built in his own electorate. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: I seek leave to table an invoice from the Spring Hill prison consultation providers for corporate box entertainment amounting to $4965. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I seek leave to table a number of media reports that show that National Party members cited wahi tapu in order to prevent a prison from being built at Spring Hill. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is there any objection? There is objection.