3. DAVID GARRETT (ACT) Link to this
to the Minister of Corrections
Does she have any confidence in the Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections, Mr Barry Matthews, following recent revelations of a senior manager’s involvement in a drug ring at Rimutaka Prison; if so, why?
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) Link to this
Yes; I have confidence that Mr Matthews has acted swiftly to deal with this issue at Rimutaka Prison.
Would the Minister of Corrections think it was good news if more drug rings were detected in prisons, because that meant that Mr Matthews was efficiently detecting them?
The matter of drugs being in the prison system should not be seen as a positive thing, in any light. But it must be seen as being positive that the issues in this case have been detected, dealt with, and prosecuted.
Does the Minister of Corrections agree that the mark of an efficient chief executive would be that no cannabis-growing operations were detected because there were none to detect; if so, how many more instances of Mr Barry Matthews’ incompetence will she tolerate?