1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements policies and actions?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes. Hon Paula Bennett: Does she agree with the submissions heard at select committee yesterday that the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill decriminalises personal possession and use of drugs? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister what we are doing is cracking down on the suppliers and dealers of synthetic drugs by classifying the two main—Hon Gerry Brownlee: Not the question. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: —I'll send you a picture of it because some people are a bit slower than others in this House—synthetic drugs as class A giving the police stronger search and seizure powers. Hon Gerry Brownlee: What about the answer? SPEAKER: No—Paula Bennett. Hon Paula Bennett: Does she agree with the submissions heard at select committee yesterday that the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill on top of what the acting Prime Minister has just said also decriminalises personal possession and use of all drugs? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister no I do not agree with the import of that question. What's going to happen is a closer focus on the misuse of drugs and those that supply them. That's why we're giving the police the discretion to act which hitherto hasn't been the case. Hon Paula Bennett: Does she agree with the Police Association then who believe compulsory discretion to not prosecute should not be put into law as this bill does? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister I'm having one hell of a job understanding the import of that question.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she think it's exceptional then that this bill codifies police discretion given there are very few bills that codify such discretion into law and is this simply a sop to the Greens' incessant desire to decriminalise drugs?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well first of all that exception or that allowance of the police to have discretion can be found in a great number of our laws. It is nothing new and we don't want to dispute with a bunch of Philadelphia lawyers on the other side.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Name one other.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: One other? There are countless others—probably 10 others.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Name one.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well ask the question then. [Interruption] No not by way of interjection Mr Brownlee. For the first time do some work come down prepared and you'll get an answer.SPEAKER: And—Hon Gerry Brownlee: The member should follow his own advice. SPEAKER: The member doesn't help himself. I am going to remind the acting Prime Minister that he is answering for the Prime Minister.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Sorry but I'm not here as a clone. I'm answering it on behalf of the Prime Minister because she's not here.SPEAKER: If the member wants to stand up and make that point he may.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I want to make it very very clear that what the Speaker—I'm not disputing your ruling; I'm just trying to understand it. How the Speaker expects me to get up and duplicate how the Prime Minister might behave might be a very admirable aspiration on his part but it's not possible. Hon Grant Robertson: That's right.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: That's obvious right? And that's why we're such a successful operation—because we've got so many characteristics.SPEAKER: Enough of that. I accept that it's not possible but I also require the Minister acting for the Prime Minister to make an attempt.Hon Paula Bennett: Could the Prime Minister then give us an example of a bill that has codified discretion into law?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Could I just say the anti-smacking legislation? That's one all right? But let's get back to the real issue. This is not decriminalisation of use as recommended by the mental health and addiction inquiry and many of our medical associations—we will respond to the inquiry next year. I want to say that illicit drugs including synthetics and P will remain illegal and there is still the ability within the legislation for an individual to be prosecuted for personal use and personal possession. Hon Paula Bennett: Well does she share the concerns of the Police Association that this bill is decriminalising all drugs for personal use and tasking front-line police officers with enacting that"?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister no.Hon Paula Bennett: So if there is compulsory discretion not to prosecute for possession of drugs as the bill legislates how does this differ to decriminalising personal possession of drugs?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Can I ask the member what on earth does she mean by "compulsory discretion"? Because the second word suggests that the first word can't be correct.SPEAKER: That might have been a good English lesson but the member can't ask the Opposition a question.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That question has been phrased twice that way and on behalf of the Prime Minister—of course being a nice person—I allowed the first mistake to be made but when it's duplicated I think we and the public out there who are listening and watching on TV are entitled to some clarity from their members of Parliament.SPEAKER: And I think there's at least some implicit criticism of me in that. I probably should have ruled it out.Hon Paula Bennett: Well does she believe someone repeatedly caught using methamphetamine should not be prosecuted?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Could I just say amongst other things it's only under 56 grams that the import of her question is even relevant in the first place.Hon Paula Bennett: So does she believe someone repeatedly caught using heroin should not be prosecuted?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: First of all that is not what the law says but what this visionary Government intends to do is rather than just take a punitive approach it seeks to turn the lives of those people around and their families as well. I know it sounds difficult to do but being a modern visionary Government we just are not interested in sending people to prison; we want to save people's lives as soon as we possibly can.Hon Paula Bennett: On that note then does he agree with New Zealand Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell who said yesterday "It's kind of pointless in making claims around wanting to treat drugs as a health issue and doing some tinkering around a drug law without backing that up with resources intervention education and treatment."?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of the Prime Minister I want to say that I agree with that comment. On behalf of the Prime Minister I want to record that that gentleman was very supportive of the bill. On behalf of the Prime Minister I want to say that there's a whole range of things we are doing from getting 1800 extra front line police to enforce the law and then to put the treatment and remedial actions in after we have arrested these people."