Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12971] 
7.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: What percentage of offenders actually complied with their parole orders and orders for post-release conditions in the past financial year and how many people were recalled to prison for breaching their conditions? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 The Department of Corrections annual report for 2002-03 indicates that 68 percent of offenders complied with the special conditions imposed as part of their parole order and 62 percent complied with the conditions imposed as part of their post-release conditions order. The Parole Board recalled 231 parolees to prison to recommence serving their sentences in the 2002-03 financial year. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Does the Minister understand that if his department had acted to recall William Duane Bell to prison when he breached his parole by assaulting a young woman and not living where he agreed to live then the Returned Services Association killings would not have happened? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I am not going to comment specifically on that case because I understand that it is before the court but I will say that this Government has done a number of important things to improve the safety of New Zealanders—longer sentences tougher parole conditions more parole officers better training and now it is working on a resettlement programme that should help overall. This is a Government that has listened to the public and acted. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why of the 826 parolees who reoffended within 12 months of their release in 2001-02 did his department seek to recall to jail only 136 or one in six parole violators? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Because the vast majority are served with breach conditions and the rest are recalled. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: What other legislative changes is the Minister promoting to protect public safety? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: The paramount purpose of the corrections system as reflected in the Corrections Bill currently before this House is to improve public safety. One of the key initiatives included in the Supplementary Order Paper is the increased level of information sharing between the Department of Corrections and police. Increased information-sharing on highest-risk offenders will enable the Department of Corrections and police to work more closely together to monitor the compliance of offenders with the conditions of their release. I am certain all members will support this particular part of the Supplementary Order Paper. 
Stephen Franks 
: Exactly what level of parole offending would it take to persuade the Minister to stop exposing innocent people like the Returned Services Association workers orKylie Smith or Kylie Jones and so many others to murder and why does a one-in-four likelihood of crime on parole not stop it immediately and permanently? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I cannot really answer the second part of that question but the decision for parole is for the Parole Board. In fact the Parole Board now has the paramountcy of the safety of the public. This is a new tougher provision introduced by my colleague the Minister of Justice. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: How serious is the Government about parole and stopping reoffending when dealing with a parolee whose reoffending was so serious that the Minister’s department classified this offender as a risk to the community it took the department 42 weeks to recall this man to prison? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Very. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: I seek leave to table official correspondence from the Department of Corrections that shows it took the department 42 weeks to recall a man classified as a risk to the community. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.