2. Question No. 2—Internal AffairsHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Minister of Internal AffairsQuestion No. 2—Internal Affairs2. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Does she have confidence in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care?Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister of Internal Affairs): Yes.Hon Paula Bennett: Who was at the meeting she had yesterday in regard to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: The meeting was led by the acting chair Judge Coral Shaw and the three other commissioners.Hon Paula Bennett: Why did Paul Gibson not ask back in May about the type of convictions the paedophile had when he knew that police had to know the paedophile's whereabouts three days in advance?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: One of the reasons why I do have confidence in the commissioners is because in the meeting we had we were able to outline the time line of events that up until that point I had only had reported via the media. It was useful to understand that the commissioners did not know about the paedophile until 22 August and how they had responded after that time. It was a staff member who was informed in May. This staff member did not inform the commissioners. There is now an employment process around that staff member so I will not say any more about that issue. Most importantly however they acknowledged that they need to reinstate the confidence of survivors the public and the Government. They acknowledged that mistakes have been made and they spoke about what they would do to stop them happening again.Hon Paula Bennett: Did Paul Gibson state that he did not know in May that one of the people at the meeting supporting one of the survivors' advocacy group—I forget what they're called sorry—had to have been notified to police when they were doing whereabouts?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: It was outlined to me by the commissioners at that time that a staff member had been requested to write a letter to the police around the individual involved and their need to get permission to travel out of a certain area. That staff member did not inform the commissioners and it came to light through another staff member on 22 August and when they found that out they responded.Hon Paula Bennett: Will the member of the survivor advocacy group who is in a relationship with a convicted paedophile stay on the group?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: That is not a question for me to answer. This is an independent royal commission of inquiry; those decisions are made by the independent royal commission of inquiry. I believe that Judge Coral Shaw gave a very good interview this morning. I would suggest the member ask Judge Coral Shaw.Hon Paula Bennett: Did she ask Judge Coral Shaw that yesterday?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: No.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she think people submitting to the royal commission can feel they are being taken seriously and given the respect they need when one of the chosen advocates is in a relationship with a paedophile?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: I think survivors are going to have to make that decision for themselves and it's interesting that I have received a lot of correspondence expressing support for the royal commission and making sure that the royal commission goes ahead. The commissioners provided me with—they have done I think around about just under 150 private interviews—statements positive statements from those who had participated in those interviews around their experience. I do want to make this comment though: the woman that we are talking about has done nothing wrong—the woman who was part of the survivors' advisory group herself has done nothing wrong. So when asking those sorts of questions I think we need to be careful about deciding that we're going to judge and take away the ability for this survivor to participate because we've made a judgment about her relationships.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact that anyone knowing about the business of this commission would understand that many of the people appearing before that commission have themselves got a criminal record and to deny the commission the hearing of their evidence would be to seriously limit the commission's business?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: That is one of the complexities that the commissioners are struggling with and again many of the one-on-one interviews that have taken place so far have been inside our prisons because some of the individuals who have suffered horribly both at the hands of the State and at the hands of religious institutions have gone on through that trauma to then commit crime. The Acting Prime Minister is quite correct—to stop them from having a voice would yet again deny them what they were denied in their childhood.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she accept this is not about the people that are submitting and their history and past but actually about someone who is on the survivors' advocacy group who has been chosen to represent them who is in a relationship with a paedophile and at risk of actually extending the trauma that those very people have already had?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Again I suggest that she puts that to the royal commission. She's asking my opinion about a person who has done nothing wrong who has committed no crime who is a survivor and on a survivor advisory panel and she is asking what my opinion is about an independent royal commission of inquiry's actions. I cannot give that to her.Hon Paula Bennett: Will she ask the commissioners to ask that person to stand down from the advocacy group?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: No that would be political interference in an independent royal commission of inquiry.