Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12918] 
6.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister for Crown Research Institutes 
: What is the current backlog of clandestine methamphetamine laboratory samples at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd and when is it expected this backlog will be cleared? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister for Crown Research Institutes) 
: 
 At the end of April the Institute of Environmental Science and Research’s total clandestine methamphetamine laboratory caseload was 165. These cases will be cleared as soon as possible. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why is this Minister ignoring the fact that drug testing is at crisis point when a detective files an affidavit in the High Court swearing that the institute’s testing of essential evidence in a serious methamphetamine-manufacturing trial may be 2 years away because of delays at that institute? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I cannot comment on a specific case when I have no prior notice of it but I can tell the member that the backlog peaked in December. It has been coming down ever since. It is currently at 165 cases. The member can shake his head as much as he likes but last month it came down by 10 and maybe this month it will come down by another 10—who knows? It depends on how many new cases are found. What is more if the member would like to reflect on the fact that the number of cases likely to be reported this year is 300 then to decide how many months it would take to clear 165 cases at the rate of more than 20 a month he could come up with his own answer. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: How does the Institute of Environmental Science and Research’s capacity to deal with these cases compare with that of other countries? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: As a result of recent recruitment as a result of funding commitments from the police as a result of a determined approach from this Government and in the face of a worldwide shortage of forensic investigators the institute’s clandestine methamphetamine laboratory team is now the largest in Australasia and it continues to grow. 
Marc Alexander 
: Why has the Minister ignored the call by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research for a one-off injection of $900000 which would rapidly clear the backlog; or does he take the narrow view that letting methamphetamine cooks and crooks off the hook is simply not his responsibility? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The House should be very clear that money is not the problem here. The House should be very clear that every time the Institute of Environmental Science and Research clears a case the police pay for it and they do so on a demand basis. Money is not the problem. Members of the House need to face the fact that the problem is a lack of trained forensic scientists—they take years to train. Members may also be interested to learn that proportionately New Zealand’s trained forensic team is three times bigger than that of the United States. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What responsibility if any will this Minister take when drug dealers walk free from court because of these drug-testing delays as Justice Potter warned in the High Court in New Plymouth when she described the delays as extremely serious and intolerable? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The member might like to reflect on the fact that in that case the judge put the person back in jail. 
Marc Alexander 
: Is the Minister prepared to take any responsibility for the backlog faced by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research in light of the fact that at the end of March police reported that they were finding double the number of methamphetamine labs compared with last year not to mention the institute’s own mission statement to “protect people and their environment through science”; if not where does the buck stop? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: It is absolutely true that the amount of methamphetamine labs being discovered in Auckland has doubled in the first few months of this year compared with the first few months of last year. That is why the number of cases that the institute plans to deal with has also doubled and that is why it continues to recruit actively internationally to bring Canadians Americans etc. into this country to help with the remarkable effort that is needed. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Will the Minister take any responsibility if drug dealers and drug manufacturers walk free because of testing delays in the agency for which he is responsible? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The member should reflect on the fact that the alternative is to take shortcuts and have people walk free because the evidence is not good enough and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research will not let that happen.