Paraone Pita: Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care) Bill — Consideration of Report of Health Committee 
Paraone Pita: Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care) Bill — Consideration of Report of Health Committee 
[Volume:612;Page:9560] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate on this bill. New Zealand First is supportive of it. The rights of those in our community with an intellectual disability need to be enshrined in law since current mental health legislation does not apply to them thus resulting in a limited range of options available for dealing with those in need of compulsory care. The events of recent times involving loss of life call for such legislation. Furthermore how often have we heard criticism of the judiciary as to the inadequacy or even the inappropriateness of their order when dealing with matters that come before it? I believe that this bill provides a much clearer indication for the judiciary to deal with those issues. 
Admittedly the bill has been substantially rewritten since its original introduction on to the legislative agenda. In the last Parliament the House and the Health Committee—on which New Zealand First did not have a member—limited its scope to those with an intellectual disability who had been charged with an imprisonable offence and found guilty or unfit to stand trial or those who had been detained but had completed their sentences. This is to ensure that people who are deemed to be a danger to themselves and/or to others are not locked away because they might offend. The way people with intellectual disabilities are regarded and treated in our society has changed and deinstitutionalisation and mainstreaming now underline the approach taken thanks to earlier Labour and National Governments—the decision that we are now seeing the adverse consequences of. 
This is all fine and well as long as the resources are there to cope with the demands of this and the burden of care is not placed on the families or the nebulous community. We must accept that some people in our society are not able to participate in a normal way because of the dangers they pose to themselves and others. Secure care or constant supervisory care is necessary for those people and I do not mean locking them up in prison with criminal offenders. This bill is an attempt to ensure the correct balance between proper care for the people who are affected and the rights and the safety of the community. 
This is where my reservations lie because all too often it takes a tragedy to occur before it is realised that the skills training and particularly the resources that are required to manage the daily care of those people that this bill applies to are totally inadequate. 
I watched with great sadness the Television New Zealand  
Documentary New Zealand  
programme 
last Monday which told the stories of three families who had lost family members under violent and heart-breaking circumstances because of severe lapses in the care and supervision of mental health patients. I will never forget the words of the man whose wife lost her life at the hands of their schizophrenic son. He said that his son had been released into community care but it was in effect he said community neglect. That is a sad commentary on the state of this country’s present attitude towards the care of those of our society who are identified as intellectually disabled. He was a young man with a serious mental illness who was left to his own devices. He had severe negative and psychotic feelings towards members of his own family. We know the outcome of that episode. This young man who had been cared for under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 was allowed to fall through the gaps with disastrous results. Now he and his family must live with the results of that just as people with intellectual disabilities and their families must live with the reality of their situations. For them the reality is that they will never recover or grow out of their disability. They will always need special care. 
It is imperative then that we provide the best care available and ensure that the quality of staff is of the highest calibre and above all suitably trained. This means we must fund the best training for the best people who are capable of working effectively with people who have intellectual disabilities. This means realistic remuneration ensuring a full complement of staff at all times and providing the best facilities available. 
Notwithstanding the report on progress in 2001-2002 towards implementing the blueprint for mental health services in New Zealand I would like to know whether the ministry has developed this disability strategy and if so how this problem of resources including staff attraction and retention is being addressed. I would like to be assured that they are well-resourced well-staffed and with well-funded facilities for those people who require the sort of care we are talking about. 
A further issue was raised with regard to children or young people under 17 years old with an intellectual disability and who are assessed as being a danger to themselves or others. The record shows that the Family Court Judge Mahoney submitted to the select committee that adequate services and facilities for these young people are not available and that they are often detained in secure facilities with young offenders. I understand that the select committee has sought assurance from officials in the ministry that strategies are being developed to address this issue. I would like to know whether this assurance has been given; if not when it will be; and if so what progress has been made. 
In summary New Zealand First is happy to support this bill and wants to make sure that it is properly implemented so that everyone who is affected by it can live with dignity and without fear that inadequate resources and lack of funding will turn this stream of care into a nightmare.