10. Question No. 10—JusticeHon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 10—Justice10. Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) to the Minister of Justice: Does he stand by his statement yesterday regarding his legislation to extend prisoner voting rights for prisoners during a national emergency that the select committee timetable is not a matter over which I have any control"?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Justice): I refer the member to my full statement which was "The bill to which the member refers is in the hands of the Justice Committee. It is not a matter over which I have any control; it is a bill that is in the control of the select committee."Hon Dr Nick Smith: Did he move a motion in this Parliament to reduce the select committee timetable on the prisoner voting bill from the normal six months to less than three months most of which has been in lockdown?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Yes.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Did he write to the Justice Committee on 31 March saying the prisoner voting bill needed to be progressed as quickly as possible under the national emergency but also stating that his justice officials and I quote "will not"—Greg O'Connor: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I'm a member of the Justice Committee and the letter to which the member is referring is in the business of the committee. As a diligent member of that committee I am unaware of any motion or any instruction from the chairman that it's been released. Just seeking your guidance as to whether reference to that letter is able to be done in this House.SPEAKER: Well I'm looking at the date of the letter which is 31—I have it in front of me—March and on the basis that it's been received by the committee that's been minuted unless it was part of a confidential part of the business I don't think there's a problem at this stage with it being referred to. If it is something which was at a very recent meeting and there hadn't been a subsequent meeting and minutes hadn't been issued then that might be the case. Dr Smith as the third most experienced parliamentarian might want to indicate to the House—oh he's not here so it doesn't really matter—that he's not breaching any committee confidentiality with it.Hon Dr Nick Smith: The clerk has noted the matter has been referred to publicly and was not subject—the clerk of the committee.SPEAKER: Thank you. That's all right.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Can I restate my question now that the flow's been lost?SPEAKER: Yeah sure.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Did he write to the Justice Committee on 31 March saying the prisoner voting bill needed to be progressed as quickly as possible under the national emergency but also stating that his justice officials—and I quote—"will not be able to assist on the sexual violence legislation requiring extension of the report-back date on that bill to 14 June."?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Will the Minister with the Government's commitment to be the most open and transparent ever and under this extraordinary national emergency publicly release his letter dated 31 March saying the prisoner voting bill was a priority—SPEAKER: Order! Order! What I'm going to do is I'm going to ask the member to start again to ask a question. There were at least two clauses in the beginning of that question which were superfluous. Start again.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Will the Minister publicly release his letter dated 31 March saying the prisoner voting bill was the Government priority—SPEAKER: Order! The—[Interruption] Order! Order!Hon Dr Nick Smith: —but the sexual violence legislation was not?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I have not written a letter with those words in it.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Will the Minister release his letter to the Justice Committee dated 31 March about the Government's legislative priorities?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: As I understand it that letter is a letter to the committee and it is a matter for that committee to determine what it wishes to do with the letter.Greg O'Connor: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Dr Smith referred to such a letter having been publicly discussed. The only person who ever brought that to the public was Dr Smith.Hon Simon Bridges: Oh well there you go then.Greg O'Connor: So Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: Order! Dr—both of you sit down. Dr Smith will withdraw and apologise for interjecting during a point of order.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I didn't interject at all sir.SPEAKER: Sorry who did it? Who said "Well there you go."? Who made that comment?Hon Simon Bridges: Oh that was me. I withdraw and apologise.SPEAKER: Right I'm clearly having some directional things here. It's probably even for the one that I didn't blame you for before.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Can I briefly speak to the point of order Mr Speaker?SPEAKER: No. Greg O'Connor is part way through a point of order.Greg O'Connor: Yes I refer to again—I remind the Speaker—this has not been released by the committee and I know the Speaker has ruled on that. What I do point the Speaker to is that Dr Smith has mentioned that it already has been discussed publicly. The only person who brought that to the public was Dr Smith and—SPEAKER: I think I've heard enough. I sought and received an assurance as to the public nature of this from Dr Smith. I have relied on that and I'm not going to have a member now doubt the word of a member which has been given to the House.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Why is the Government at a time when millions of law-abiding New Zealanders are not being allowed to leave their homes or go to work or open their businesses making a priority of legislation to give prisoners the vote?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The progress of that bill is a matter entirely in the hands of the select committee.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I seek leave of the House for the report-back timetable for the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to be extended by the period of the national lockdown to 7 July 2020.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that occurring? There is."