Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:11162] 
3.  
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
 to the  
Minister of Civil Defence 
: What steps have been taken to address the current civil defence emergency and what advice has he received regarding ongoing weather prospects? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Civil Defence) 
: 
 The Government is committing millions of dollars through a range of Government agencies. These include a number of one-stop shops that are being established to coordinate Government assistance. Transit has been working to restore roads and bridges and will continue to do so. The civil defence emergency operations centre has been activated in the basement and is also working with areas impacted by the floods. Recovery managers have been appointed and various emergency services and volunteers are working closely with civil defence staff. Defence forces personnel and assets have been made available. I have been advised that the weather prospects over the next 24 hours are not good in the affected areas with the possibility of up to 100 millimetres of rain in some of these areas and this could have a devastating effect. 
Darren Hughes 
: What reports has the Minister seen about the money the Government has committed? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I have seen a number of reports but I must say I have also seen erroneous reports that have been circulated. They appear to have been an attempt to grandstand and score cheap political points. These false reports— 
Simon Power 
: Get out of the helicopter! 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: —the guilty squawk—appear to be an attempt to grandstand and score cheap political points. These false reports—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister will please be seated. I will not have all those interjections in the second person. The Minister is entitled to give an answer then members can ask supplementary questions. I do not mind the occasional interjection but they must be in the proper person. [ 
Interruption 
] I now warn the member that if he interjects again when I have said that he will leave the Chamber immediately. 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I will start again. I have seen a number of reports but I must say erroneous reports have been circulated. They appear to have been an attempt to grandstand and score cheap political points. These false reports about a mere $20000 have been circulated by Simon Power when in fact millions have been committed. He is adding more misery to those who are already suffering. 
Simon Power 
: What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Police to aid those farmers trying to shift stock and who have reportedly been clamped down on by local transport officials for overloading stock and logging too many hours in their logbooks? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The issues that are raised are safety issues. Overloaded trucks on bridges where there are washouts at the moment could cause them to tumble over but the person the member is talking about John Seymour of Seymour Transport had a discussion with the police and is well satisfied with what the police told him. 
Brent Catchpole 
: What initiatives is the Minister taking to ensure the availability of sufficient machinery and manpower locally and where necessary brought in from outside the area to effect speedy repairs to stopbanks and to essential services such as roading water supply gas and bridges to ensure the health and safety of the people in the area affected by the flood damage? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The Government is taking every reasonable step to get that there. Every request is being answered and I am sure that with the goodwill of the local people the volunteers and the companies involved power gas telephones and housing issues are being met. The one-stop shop is answering concerns of the local community. This Government cares about these people and will continue to provide services. 
Marc Alexander 
: Can the Minister state what if anything is being done in light of incidents of looting that have occurred in flood-stricken areas of late and will he ensure that the full force of the law will be brought down on these scumbags who take advantage of people facing arguably the lowest point in their lives? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: People who burgle homes that are empty in an emergency are indeed scumbags and the police will take every action to make those people responsible come before the courts. 
Georgina Beyer 
: Have members of the Government been to see firsthand the flooding? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes. Yesterday the Prime Minister and I travelled through the affected region. We went to places like Tangimoana the Waitotara Valley and Waverley amongst others. Early this week I also inspected the affected areas as I will do again tomorrow. We had actually spoken to victims and volunteers and answered their questions rather than just grandstanding to the media like Simon Power did. 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: Can the Minister say whether the member for Rangitikei has represented his constituents’ interests directly to Ministers such as myself who are responsible for funding assistance to the area or has he avoided doing that on behalf of his constituents? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: In so far as the question relates to Ministers the Minister may answer. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask you to have a look at the question that was asked and tell us how on earth it could possibly relate to the Minister. It is just cheap political stuntsmanship. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is why I sought advice. The question was asked specifically to Ministers and will be answered in so far as what representations to Ministers have been made. That part of the question can be answered but nothing else. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. How can a Minister have responsibility for whether another Minister has been talked to? To answer that question the Minister of Civil Defence has to say whether he knows whether Mr Power has talked to—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! That is the only warning today. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: —every other Minister. That is clearly something that the Minister of Civil Defence will not know. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Let me just say this. This is a civil defence issue and of course that goes beyond the Minister of Civil Defence. I am inclined to suggest to the Minister that this is a very brief answer indeed because it is a question that was given as a specific question and can have a very specific brief answer. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am asking you to look at this again. The question was asked of him as to what representations have been made to Ministers. We know that the fellow has done very little about the problem up there and we are supposed to accept that what he has done over the last few days is ring his mates to ask whether Simon Power called. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member knows that that was not a point of order and he knows he was doing that to make a political point. He has made it and I think on reflection that I am going to move on.