Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Question No. 3 to Minister 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Question No. 3 to Minister 
[Volume:617;Page:13315] 
8.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: What steps is he contemplating to regulate the immigration industry? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister of Immigration) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Immigration 
: Cabinet has agreed in principle to the statutory regulation of immigration agents. Officials are working on the detail but it is intended that the proposal would require agents to be licensed and would provide minimum standards for the industry. An independent governing body would be set up responsible for administering a code of conduct. The New Zealand Immigration Service would be able to refuse applications from unlicensed agents and agents could be penalised for operating illegally. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it not a fact that in the last 3 weeks the Minister has already admitted firstly that there is an urgent need to review the Immigration Act in the light of fraud and corruption allegations and proof and secondly that the method used for calculating overstayers was a guesstimate at best and not at all to be relied upon and that now finally after 5 years we have an announcement that the Government plans to regulate the immigration industry; what state of affairs has changed recently to prompt this sudden acknowledgment of the mess within the immigration policy of this Government? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I do agree that immigration was in a mess when Labour came in in 1999. We have embarked upon a major policy review and we are going through a number of key areas in immigration such as family policy work policy settlement and skills policy. This latest announcement to regulate agents is necessary because although the majority of agents are good agents there are some who are simply thieves and vagabonds and they need to be stamped out. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Has the Minister received any reports that outline the number of asylum seekers refugees and immigrants receiving emergency benefits—given that his colleague Rick Barker is refusing to answer written questions on this matter—to the extent that we have an emergency benefit taken up for 19 years by someone brought into this country who has never been off it in fact and that we have here people like Zaoui an acknowledged terrorist who now has cost the New Zealand taxpayer up to $1 million; when will we have those figures and could he provide them as soon as possible please? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I do not have those figures but if the member would make the effort to put down a written question to me I am sure we will get back to him with accurate details on those issues. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This matter was partly covered in a point of order from Mrs Rich. I asked the identical question of Rick Barker and he refused to provide the information to me. So here we are with one Minister saying one thing and another saying something else and months later we are still no wiser. I can find the  
Hansard 
 for you and prove what I am saying. If that is the case why have this Government Parliament and the public been denied pretty significant information that would allow them to pass judgment as to whether the Government is behaving satisfactorily? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has made his point twice. This is relitigating an issue I have ruled on. If inconsistency is exposed then of course that is something that is there in the House and it is a point that can be raised by the Opposition. I cannot rule on that particular matter; it is not a point of order. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There is a matter on which you can help the House though. If a Minister makes to the House what can often be a perfectly reasonable reply: “I do not have those figures.”—and I think this time he also said “If the member takes the trouble to put down a written question”—surely there is then an expectation the Minister having given that statement to the House that the Government at that point will answer the question and not put in an answer saying “We can’t be blowed working it out.” or whatever it is that Mr Barker says when he replies. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That issue has not been arrived at yet. I just heard the Minister say that if the member put down a question he would answer it. He has given that assurance to the House. I heard him say it and now I will expect that to be done. The Minister must stand by what he said.