11. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) Link to this
to the Minister of Corrections
Does he have confidence in his department; if so, why?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) Link to this
Yes, but there is always room for improvement.
Is it his Government’s policy to allow parole for a convicted rapist who has served only 2 years of a 7-year sentence and then to fail to tell the victim that the offender was being granted home detention?
Can the Minister confirm that when the victim of Peter McNamara contacted his office on Thursday, 2 August she was told that it was not the office’s responsibility and that it had not received a report on the case, yet the Parole Board told her that it had put in a report to his office the day before; if not, why else would the victim say: “Everyone else has put up their hand and apologised yet the Minister’s office says: ‘It’s got nothing to do with us.’ ”?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
The Parole Board, or an employee of the Department of Corrections who works for the Parole Board, did ring my office and notify us of the issue. Once the Parole Board had identified that the victim had not been given the opportunity to appear at the parole hearing the panel was alerted of the serious oversight. The victim was contacted immediately by staff and an apology made. The panel subsequently revoked its decision on Friday, 3 August. Mr McNamara’s hearing will be reheard before a different panel, allowing time for the victim to prepare and present a submission to the board—and that is the way it should be.
Did his office tell the victim of Peter McNamara that it had not received a report on this case, or not?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
We had not received a report on this case. We had been notified of the issue by the Parole Board. It is not appropriate, at all, for me to have any input into the Parole Board’s operations.
Tariana TuriaKia ora, Madam Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. Why did the Government use $137 million to build a facility at Ngāwhā, despite being told not to by the Northland Regional Council, which refused to give resource consent for the construction of the prison, by Ngāpuhi, who told the Government that the site was geologically active and unsuitable for major construction, and by local residents, who warned that it would cost millions to maintain the facility at Ngāwhā because of slumping and corrosive gases from the geothermal field?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
A resource consent was eventually given for the Ngāwhā site. Approval to proceed on that site was signed off by the previous National Government, which was fully aware of all the geo-technical challenges of that site at that time.
Hon Rick Barker—well, Rick Barker can laugh, but he should check his facts—his predecessor’s claims that “The site is not physically inappropriate.”, and “There are no expected future problems with site stability.”?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
Ngāwhā prison is a facility of 37 buildings extending over 190 hectares. One corner of one building has settled, and a crack of 10 millimetres has appeared. Not even the skinniest of prisoners could get out of that. This in no way threatens the integrity or the operation of Ngāwhā prison.
Madam SPEAKERCan the Minister confirm the contents of a memo he received from his department that states that the Ngāwhā site “was known to have geo-technical difficulties”; and as the cost of building the prison has ballooned from $40 million to $133 million, how much more will it cost the taxpayer, in light of the fact that the liability period for defects, under the collaborative working arrangements system of contracting, lapsed in March 2006?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I can confirm that the situation is being monitored and there is one corner of one building where settling may continue. I say that, yes, we were very aware of the geo-technical problems with that site. So, too, was the previous National Minister, Mr Clem Simich, who signed the agreement to proceed with the prison, fully aware of all the geo-technical challenges of that site.
I seek to table the signed agreement of 8 November 1999, signed by Mr Clem Simich, to proceed with Ngāwhā prison—