4. Pike River Mine Disaster—Re-entry and Recovery OperationANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterPike River Mine Disaster—Re-entry and Recovery Operation4. ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Has he met with the families of the Pike River miners today; if not why not?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): It has not been possible to meet with the families at such short notice but I ran into Bernie Monk this morning. I am happy to meet with the families at some point in the future and possibly before Christmas but I must emphasise that any decision to re-enter the mine is not a political decision. It is a decision about the safety of the mine.Andrew Little: In light of his answer that it is not a political question is he going to keep John Key's promise and do everything he can to get the bodies out?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: It is a question of whether it is safe to get the bodies out without putting other lives at risk. Compared with any other workplace in New Zealand where Kiwis right now are worried about their safety this is a particularly dangerous one. That is really the key issue.Andrew Little: Will he come with me after question time to have a proper meeting with the families look them in the eye and tell them why he is ignoring their pleas?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: No because that would be falling in with the Leader of the Opposition's view that there is a political decision to be made which may involve putting New Zealanders' lives at risk in one of the most dangerous workplaces as we know in New Zealand. The core issue here is to respect the distress of the families but acknowledge that the decision about going in the mine is essentially one of safety not politics. That member would be the first to complain if more lives were lost because a politician overrode the law passed by this Parliament.Andrew Little: When he says it should be up to the experts to determine whether re-entering the mine is safe is he aware a report saying re-entry is safe has been written by Dr David Creedy vice-chair of the UN Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Bob Stevenson former UK principal mines inspector and that the report has been peer reviewed and endorsed by the United Kingdom's leading mines rescue expert Brian Robinson and by mining ventilation experts John Rowland and Dr Roy Moreby?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: In the first place my general understanding of the reports is that they say it may be possible which is not the same as saying it is safe. Secondly the member should understand the legislation that he advocated for which brings together judgment about safety and legal responsibility for anyone in that workplace. Whatever any independent expert says someone who is responsible for the people who might go into that mine is legally responsible for their lives. That is the correct way according to the law of the land that that decision should be made not with some political meeting misleading the families that somehow the law can be overridden.Andrew Little: Why does he not do the right thing listen to the families and fulfil his Government's promise to do everything he can to get their men out?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Government of course has explored at some length the possibilities in respect of retrieving the bodies from the mine but it is not going to be put in the position where a political decision is made that puts lives at risk in contravention of the law of this Parliament. The member does not seem to understand that right now there are people putting up scaffolding around one-storey houses because that is what the law requires of the employers of painters to ensure that the risks are mitigated and if they go to that trouble to fulfil their legal responsibilities imagine what effort would have to be made to go to the trouble of protecting a single person from every danger in that mine.Ron Mark: If all of that was known to his Government at the time that the former Prime Minister made his pledge why will he not simply to quote the Prime Minister get some guts" and do the right thing? Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: It is simply not the right thing for a politician to override our workplace safety legislation and instruct people to put their lives at risk. Those risks are likely to be unreasonable."