Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:15527] 
1. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: How many beds are currently “mothballed” or unused in the prison service and why are these beds not being used to relieve the worsening muster crisis? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 Currently there are 23 unused cells at Paremoremo prison due to district plan constraints. The Department of Corrections has approached the council to allow these cells to be used. The department is also considering refurbishing an old 87-bed unit at Tongariro/Rangipo Prison which does not comply with the Building Act. More double-bunking beds are being actively pursued but such beds would exceed agreed prison maximum numbers. Discussions between the department and prison officers unions are under way on this issue. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: How many of the 468 beds mothballed by his department as at March 2003 could be available to relieve the muster crisis? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: It may come as a bit of a surprise to the member that since March 2003 the 216 high-security Rimutaka Prison and Paparua prison beds are all back on stream and that the 252 low-security Waikeria Prison Rolleston Prison Ohura Prison and Tongariro prison beds are all back on stream. Every single one of those beds is now back on stream. 
Martin Gallagher 
: Would the Minister restate clearly what the Government is doing to manage the unexpected rise in prison numbers? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I heard two interjections during that question. I will have no tolerance today. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: The Department of Corrections has introduced a number of measures including: using the department’s 4 percent operational buffer reopening the 60-bed Larch Unit at Tongariro/Rangipo Prison and the Tawa Unit at Rolleston Prison in Christchurch increasing double-bunking at Auckland Central Remand Prison and Rimutaka Prison and adding cells to the Nikau Unit for women at Waikeria Prison. In addition increasing the capacity of existing facilities is being considered. The situation of course will improve markedly when the four new facilities open in the next few years. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why when that Minister has known about this crisis for months and months is he not competent enough to have negotiated an employment agreement that would see these empty beds filled and the crisis ended? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: The member does not quite understand. [ 
Interruption 
] He does not understand anything about the employment agreement and that is obvious from his question. I shall take it slowly. The reality is that a lot of double-bunking has been going on but there does not need to be a change to the employment agreement for that to happen. If double-bunking goes above the capacity of the prison then a change to the agreement does need to happen. That matter is being discussed at the moment. I suggest the member reads the employment agreement before he makes such silly statements. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: As the Minister has known about this crisis for months and months does he not think it would make sense to spend money to open up those mothballed cells instead of spending money settling all the prisoner compensation claims expected to flood his department because of his incompetent handling of that crisis? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Notwithstanding the fact that funding has been an issue right back to when the department was formed and back when that member was a Minister in Government and which is mentioned in the output pricing review there are two issues relating to the prison units that I described earlier. The first has nothing to do with funding; it has to do with the district plan. The council will not allow those prison cells to come on-stream and we are negotiating at the moment. The second relates to consideration of refurbishing of the unit at Tongariro/Rangipo Prison. Funding would be made available for that.