Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:632;Page:4057] 
1. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: Does he have confidence in his department; if so why? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Acting Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 The answer is yes but there is always room for improvement. 
Simon Power 
: Why do the new Northland Auckland women’s Spring Hill and Otago prisons all have underfloor heating included in each cell when according to a recent Building Research Association survey 96 percent of New Zealand homes do not? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: It is important to note that the current building code requires an adequate interior temperature of no less than 16 degrees Celsius in habitable spaces and bathrooms in many public buildings. That is not new. In fact the Auckland City Hospital mental health unit a large number of retirement homes and childcare centres and the Auckland and Canterbury universities also have underfloor heating. 
Jill Pettis 
: Why is underfloor heating often used to heat public buildings? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: As I said there is the matter of the building code requirements. In fact that form of heating is the most cost-efficient. 
Simon Power 
: What would the Minister say to the victims of crime who are traumatised by the actions of prisoners who will now be warmer in their cells than many of the victims are themselves in their own homes? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: I say to victims of crime that the Government is sympathetic to their situation and is in support of them all the time. But I think there is a contradiction here. I heard a speech made by that member in the House last night where he supported legislation to allow mothers in prison to keep their babies with them. What does he suggest in terms of heating those prison cells—or does he want to put those mothers and their babies on ice? 
Simon Power 
: Why does Ngawha prison in Northland require underfloor heating when figures from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research indicate a mean daily temperature there of 16 degrees over the last 12 months? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: There are times when it is quite chilly in the north but at most times the temperatures are warm. That member is well aware of the building code requirements and also that Ngawha prison is very cost-efficient in terms of heating. 
Simon Power 
: Does he stand by the statement he made last week when he opened Auckland women’s prison with the Prime Minister: “These prisons are not and will not be gold-plated.”; if so how does he reconcile those comments with the fact that the prison was originally estimated to cost $58 million and ended up costing $158 million? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: The operational costs for the Auckland prison were factored into the original cost. As that member is aware the overspend for Auckland women’s prison went from $58 million to $158 million because we doubled the number of beds. 
Simon Power 
: How can he have confidence in his department when since the election New Zealanders have heard that prisoners are getting underfloor heating access to cellphones and alleged prostitutes steak and ice-cream and R-rated movies; is he familiar with the radical notion that prison is intended to act as a deterrent to criminals? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: That member referred to a breach of security or supposed breach of security where a prostitute entered a facility. That is not the case at all. In fact the person entered a property next door—a training centre of the Department of Corrections. However the department takes the matter seriously and is investigating. 
Simon Power 
: Is he concerned that reports today from a Rotorua prisoners aid field officer and Salvation Army manager state that prisoners released from jail reoffend in order to get back into a warm prison cell and has he finally formed the view that his department is inept and he has lost control of it? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: Absolutely not. The statement referred to was made by a local prisoners aid community person. I have difficulty with the figures mentioned because she stated something like three prisoners a week were trying to get back into prison to get warm. That would make it something like 160 prisoners in Rotorua a year. I find that hard to accept. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does he begin to understand the anger and frustration of taxpayers and victims of crime who are paying for those prisons and see them as holiday camps that they themselves could not afford with their underfloor heating their gyms and their three meals a day; does he understand the anger of people who have suffered from crime and who are now having to pay for what is like a holiday camp that they themselves could not afford? 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: I can understand the feelings of the victims of crime in situations like that just as I can understand those of the people of Epsom who elected a member of Parliament to take dancing lessons.