O'Connor Damien: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Damien: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1772. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour—West Coast - Tasman)to the Minister for Primary Industries: Was the Government’s decision to cut 100 percent bag screening indicative of the priority the Government places on biosecurity?Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister for Primary Industries):Yes. This allows the Ministry for Primary Industries to target more resources at high-risk passengers. The only people who go through the green lane are assessed by a Ministry for Primary Industries officer as low risk and they are still likely to be screened by sniffer dogs. X-rays are just one tool that the Ministry for Primary Industries uses to manage biosecurity risks. Analysis shows that passengers coming through the green lane have a higher compliance than those who do not. We are constantly exploring ways to improve and we will be looking at tougher measures but it is too early to say what they might be.Hon Damien O’Connor: Given that Biosecurity New Zealand has previously said in its strategy that screening all bags halves the risk of incursions why did his Government stop screening all bags in 2012?Hon NATHAN GUY: We have a multi-layered world-class biosecurity system. We still have a process—a very robust process—on border control. The member needs to be aware that there are four pathways that we focus on: cargo craft mail and passenger. The member also needs to be aware that we have increased funding in biosecurity we have got more front-line quarantine inspectors working on biosecurity—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have heard enough and it is clear that the Minister is not answering the question.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why?Mr SPEAKER: Because I told him to. If the member had listened more carefully to the answers he would realise that that question was quite definitely addressed.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Have we reached the point where a senior member of the Opposition is not allowed to raise a point of order without being treated rudely by the Speaker?Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the member felt I addressed him rudely I apologise. [Interruption] Order! I am on my feet. What I am saying is that it is important for people to listen to the answers and in that case if the member goes back and studies the answer he will see that the answer certainly addressed the question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I carefully listened to the answer with great acuity of hearing as good as you—as good as you I am assuring you. The question was about a certain specific procedure that was ceased in 2012. None of that in the Hansard will cover that as you said so why do you not listen to the answer yourself?Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is the sort of comment that is very unnecessary to this Chamber. I invite the member as I have already once to go back and look at the Hansard. It might not be the answer Mr O’Connor was hoping for but it certainly addressed the question.Hon Damien O’Connor: Given the statement on his ministry’s website that “Fruit fly is most likely to arrive with plane passengers bringing infested fruit in luggage.” page last updated 19 February 2015 will he reinstate 100 percent X-ray screening; if not why not?Hon NATHAN GUY: Well if the member listened to my primary answer—I am not sure that he did—I said that the Ministry for Primary Industries has a real target on high-risk passengers. I also went on to say that we are continuing to review the biosecurity system to ensure that it is world-class multi-layered and indeed my No. 1 priority as Minister.Hon Damien O’Connor: Why has he not acted sooner to reintroduce 100 percent bag screening given that there have been at least three fruit fly incursions in the last 2 years?Hon NATHAN GUY: If the member listened to the answers that I have been trying to give him today and if he had a look at the pathway analysis on the Ministry for Primary Industries website which he obviously has not looked at that will confirm that indeed there are four pathways where an egg or larvae could have come in. Importantly the member needs to realise that we have never had a breeding population established in New Zealand which goes to show that the 7500 traps in New Zealand are working.Joanne Hayes: What are some examples of the emphasis this Government places on biosecurity?Hon NATHAN GUY: That is a very good question. In the last 2 years we have roughly doubled the number of dog detector teams we have got 15 new X-ray machines working at our international airports we have got 130 new front-line quarantine inspectors and we have got two portable labs. We have stepped up a very quick response to this detection of one Queensland fruit fly in Auckland at the moment. The member will also be aware—he might have forgotten—that we are investing $68 million in a new biocontainment facility in Wallaceville and also we have brought in Government industry agreements where the kiwifruit and the pipfruit industries are sitting around with the Ministry for Primary Industries and working closely with it on preparedness and response.Hon Damien O’Connor: Did he or his officials raise any concerns with the Prime Minister as Minister of Tourism about the increased risks to biosecurity when the proposal to cut 100 percent X-rays was being considered?Hon NATHAN GUY: The whole of Cabinet made the decision to make the change.Hon Damien O’Connor: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question is very clear: did he or his officials raise concerns? It is as simple as that.Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty—Hon Damien O’Connor: To the Prime Minister—sorry just to clarify for the Minister.Mr SPEAKER: The difficulty was that I doubt whether the Minister was actually the Minister at the time. But he said that the matter went before Cabinet to meet.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I have a point of order from the Hon David Parker. I hope it is more helpful than the last one.Hon David Parker: In respect of your last point the Minister has responsibility for the actions that happened under the watch of prior people in that role. He might say “I don’t know.” but he has responsibility.Mr SPEAKER: He did not say “I don’t know.”; he said the matter had been raised before Cabinet which means that the Prime Minister certainly was present for the discussion. So in that regard the question has been addressed.Hon Damien O’Connor: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am just wanting clarity because—Mr SPEAKER: If the member now is—[Interruption] Order! I just want to be clear. I have ruled that the question has been addressed. Is the member now relitigating that matter?Hon Damien O’Connor: I am just wanting an answer.Mr SPEAKER: I have given an answer as to whether the question has been addressed. If the member wants to raise—[Interruption] Order! Resume your seat. If the member wants to raise a fresh point of order that is legitimate. If the point of order is now relitigating a decision I have made as to whether that question that has been raised by the member previously has been addressed then I have given a ruling on that and to continue to relitigate that matter will bring this House into disorder.Hon Damien O’Connor: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I appreciate that. The question would be then what is appropriate as an answer from a Minister who may not be aware of what has happened previously. I accept—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Now the member is starting to waste the time of this House. The member will resume his seat. [Interruption] Order! Unless the member wants to make an early departure from the House I suggest he sit down. Question No. 12—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member please resume his seat. I am on my feet. If the member wants to raise a fresh point of order I would be delighted to hear it but if the member is going to raise a point of order relitigating a decision I have just made about the adequacy of an answer that again is leading to disorder and I will deal with the member quite severely if that happens. Does the member have a point of order?Rt Hon Winston Peters: I am going to ask you this question because frankly it is to do with your explanation to the questioner. The questioner wanted to know whether the Minister or his officials raised an issue with a specific person or body. What we got was that the decision was made by the whole Cabinet. I am no wiser and nor is he as to the particularity of that question. If that is an offence I am willing to take the consequences.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I thought that the answer was very very clear. Firstly the member is obviously asking questions based on some official information he has already received most likely—Hon Damien O’Connor: No I haven’t. I wasn’t.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well look at the website; it is all published. One of the things that are most salient here is that when all of these things are put before Cabinet the Prime Minister is sitting there chairing it. So he is saying effectively that not only did the Prime Minister see it but the whole Cabinet saw it. I appreciate that the member’s limited experience of these matters might mean he does not know how that works but there is some information for him.Mr SPEAKER: The matter has been dealt with. The answer was satisfactory. The question was whether the Minister had taken the matter to the Minister of Tourism. As I recall it he said he had taken it to Cabinet which means that all Ministers were there. So certainly the question has been addressed and I should think that if the members think carefully about the answer they will know that the answer has given the information that was required.