Ardern Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15130. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki - King Country) to theMinister for Primary Industries: What announcements has he made on strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity system?Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister for Primary Industries): Last week I presented official appointment certificates to 32 new quarantine inspectors and five new detector dog handlers. Sixteen of the new inspectors will be based in Auckland eight will go to Wellington and eight will go to Christchurch. Three new dog teams will go to Auckland and one will go to Wellington and one to Queenstown. The new front-line recruits will further strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity front line. These appointments mean that close to 100 new quarantine inspectors have joined the Ministry for Primary Industries in the last 14 months and the ministry is planning to recruit a further 24 quarantine inspectors in March next year.Shane Ardern: What other announcements has he made on strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity systems?Hon NATHAN GUY: Last week I also unveiled one of the 12 new X-ray machines that have been installed in Auckland Christchurch Wellington and Queenstown airports and in Auckland’s international mail centre. The modern machines mean that the Ministry for Primary Industries will be able to screen items with greater accuracy and image quality. This will further strengthen our biosecurity system as border staff will be better equipped to spot risk items before they enter New Zealand.Shane Ardern: Why is the Government placing such a high priority on biosecurity?Hon NATHAN GUY: New Zealand’s primary industries account for 72 percent of New Zealand’s merchandise exports and of course they are the backbone of the New Zealand economy. It is vital that we protect these industries from biological risks associated with imported pests and diseases. That is why biosecurity is my No. 1 priority and it is why last week’s announcements are the latest in a range of actions taken by this Government to boost biosecurity.Hon Damien O’Connor: Do the 56 biosecurity incursions under his Government provide enough evidence of its biosecurity failure or does he now need X-ray machines to prove that cutbacks to staffing cuts to funding and the introduction of species such as European alpine newts angry pest birds black grass seed and wood termites have undermined New Zealand’s biosecurity reputation and put the whole New Zealand economy at risk?Hon NATHAN GUY: The member’s rhetoric is inaccurate. What the member needs to understand is that I have got hold of a report recently that shows that in 2007 that member’s Government was warned that it had a number of gaps and inconsistencies in the biosecurity system limited progress was being made in addressing these issues and these issues had been given insufficient priority. If the member wants me to go through a list of incursions under that Labour Government’s watch I am happy to do it. In fact I will—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That will not be necessary.Hon Damien O’Connor: I seek leave to table a list of 50 incursions that have occurred—Rt Hon Winston Peters: How many?Hon Damien O’Connor: —50—from 2008 to 2012.Mr SPEAKER: I just need to clarify the origin of that document.Hon Damien O’Connor: It is an answer to a parliamentary question—Mr SPEAKER: Well then if it is an answer to a parliamentary question it is available to all members.Hon Damien O’Connor: I seek leave to table another paper.Mr SPEAKER: Again if it is an answer to a parliamentary question—Hon Damien O’Connor: Yes it is but I am not sure that everyone has access—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Everybody has access to parliamentary questions once they are published.