Goudie Sandra: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoudie Sandra: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 05 May 2009. Volume:654;Page:2829. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel)to the Minister of Corrections: Has she received any reports regarding improvements to staff and prisoner safety?Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Corrections):Yes; as of next week high-security and remand prisoners will no longer be able to keep razor blades in their cells. Instead they will be issued with a safety razor on request which they will be able to keep for only 1 hour. The razor blade will then be collected checked and securely disposed of. Each prison unit will be required to account for both the issue and return of all razor blades.Sandra Goudie: Why did the policy on razor blades need changing?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Under the previous policy prisoners were able to accumulate razor blades in their cells and excess numbers of razor blades were being found and removed from prisoners’ cells. Over the years a number of prisoners have died from razor blade injuries and many more staff and prisoners have been injured. As soon as I became aware of this issue I asked the Department of Corrections to immediately review its policy on razor blades for prisoners. I expect this common-sense change to reduce the risk of prisoners harming themselves or others with razor blades.Sandra Goudie: Are razor blade incidents common?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Yes; in 2007 there were 272 razor blade incidents in prisons including 107 incidents involving self-harm and 28 incidents involving razor blades that had been fashioned into weapons. Allowing prisoners to accumulate razor blades in their cells puts staff and other prisoners at risk and it is unacceptable to this Government.Hon Clayton Cosgrove: How does the Minister’s proposal to introduce widespread double-bunking without proper consultation with staff and the Corrections Association of New Zealand a proposal that the Prime Minister has said is a cost-cutting measure contribute to the safety of our prison officers given that the President of the Corrections Association of New Zealand Beven Hanlon has said that double-bunking is “of grave concern to corrections officers and nursing staff” and would “increase the risks for staff”; and in light of these concerns why is she selling out our prison officers by pushing ahead with this cost-cutting policy which clearly will jeopardise the safety of prison officers?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Double-bunking is currently used across most prisons at times to manage muster levels as it was under the previous Labour Government. The Department of Corrections has already undertaken to ensure that the staff to prisoner ratio is maintained in any unit that is double-bunked. This means that as the number of prisoners increases in a double-bunked unit the number of staff working in the unit will also increase. The Department of Corrections is currently negotiating with both the Corrections Association of New Zealand and the Public Service Association to increase double-bunking at the four new facilities.Hon Clayton Cosgrove: Can the Minister confirm that a serious incident occurred yesterday at the Kaka Unit a partially double-bunked unit in the Northland Region Corrections Facility in which five prison officers including a unit manager were attacked by 15 prisoners with some officers receiving serious injuries including a smashed Achilles heel a dislocated shoulder and a broken arm ball-and-socket joint; and how does this incident show that she is taking the safety of prison officers seriously?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: The incident occurred in response to a change in routine at the prison which requires prisoners to eat meals in the dining area rather than in their cells. Unfortunately a number of staff received minor injuries. The most serious injury is a suspected fractured shoulder not actually at the level that that member has just told the House.