Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:629;Page:1801] 
9.  
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
 to the  
Minister of Justice 
: Does he stand by the information contained in the document  
Prison Population Forecast 2005 
 released by the Ministry of Justice; if so why? 
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I am satisfied that the forecast is based on sound analysis of the available data. 
Simon Power 
: Why did the Minister not include figures on growth in the prison population in his press release of 7 March 2006—was it because he did not want to point out that over 12 months his ministry had found that the prison population was not going to increase by 10 percent between 2005-06 and 2009-10 as previously forecasted but actually by 17 percent; how has this Government got it so wrong again? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I did not focus on that in the press statement because the statement was about the forecast not about the outstanding achievements of this Government in delivering to the hardened criminals in New Zealand. 
Lynne Pillay 
: Can the Minister give the House some specific examples of Government initiatives that have impacted on the prison forecast? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: Yes. As intended the Sentencing Act 2002 has resulted in longer sentences being imposed. Reforms to preventive detention in that Act have resulted in more serious and recidivist offenders receiving substantially longer sentences including preventive detention. At the same time the Parole Act 2002 has increased the proportion of sentences that inmates actually serve. Under the Bail Act 2000 more high-risk defendants are being denied bail. A record number of police and the improvement in police resolution rates have meant more cases coming to court and more criminals being imprisoned. Those Acts are successfully targeting hardened serious criminals who are appropriately the cause of concern for the public. 
Simon Power 
: When did the Minister finally realise that new prisons could not be ruled out given that he said last week in relation to prison muster numbers that “if the rate of increase continues on the same trajectory the inevitable result is the need for more prisons”; and how does he reconcile that statement with Damien O’Connor’s statements last November in which the latter clearly stated that no more new prisons were being considered? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: If the member wants to ask a question of my colleague he should do so. But I can certainly—[ 
Interruption 
] Well if the member wants me to finish I will— 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The question was directed to a statement made by the Minister in his capacity as the Minister of Justice. I asked him to reconcile that statement with a statement of another Minister. The question is within the portfolio responsibility that he holds. 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: Had the member not interrupted me I would have come to my response to the part of his question that related to what I said. I was simply pointing out that the other part of the question related to a statement of a colleague. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Minister please address the question so we can hear the answer in full. 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: The purpose of forecasts I say to the member is to provide just that—a forecast. They are issued annually. They change with ever-changing data. I have at no point said anything that is inconsistent with the statement that the member attributed to me. 
Simon Power 
: Why did his ministry state to a  
Sunday Star-Times 
 reporter that no more recent forecasting was in the pipeline when the report referred to in the primary question was released 2 days later; and should we take this to be a clear sign that every single limb of our justice system is now moving in a direction completely separate from every other limb of our justice system? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I will be happy to get the member an answer to that question but as I said to the member I have made no statement that is inconsistent with any previous statement. 
Simon Power 
: Does the Minister intend to apologise to his colleague Damien O’Connor who last November stated: “there are no plans to build more prisons in light of these latest expanded prison population figures” forcing Mr O’Connor into an embarrassing U-turn when he was forced to state last Wednesday that he is now determined to build only what is absolutely necessary? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I will try again to point out to the member that the point of annual forecasts is to provide annually updated information. The Minister at the time no doubt based his statement on the best available information at the time. I have just released the new information. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: With regard to the prison population forecast does the Minister support the call of the Salvation Army for politicians to stop using crime as a political football to sit down together and start talking about what actually works to reduce crime and to work towards a cross-party accord; if he does support that call will he give his commitment to this House to participate? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: I think the notion of putting aside playing political football with this issue is highly desirable but I see little likelihood of it given the performance in the House this afternoon. However this Government is committed to looking at a wide range of interventions that are effective across a wide range of offenders. 
Ron Mark 
: Why does the  
Prison Population Forecast 2005 
 report make no mention of the increasing number of foreign nationals held in our prisons given that we are currently holding more than 400 at a cost of $23 million a year which has climbed from a figure of 270 in 2002 and has the number of foreign nationals held in our jails been forecast for the future; if so what do the forecasts indicate in terms of cost and bed spaces? 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: As I indicated to the member in an answer to a previous question the collection of data does not include nationality. However if the member wants to follow up with a question to my colleague Damien O’Connor in terms of information held by the Department of Corrections he may in fact get some of the information he is looking for.