6. CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Courts
Does he have confidence that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice; if so, why?
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Justice) Link to this
The Minister has confidence that, as a result of a massive injection of $156 million into Votes Courts and Justice, as well as a broad programme of review and service improvement that we are continuing to roll out, the court system has been steadily improving over the last 6 years of a Labour-led Government. This is in stark contrast to the gross under-investment in the justice sector through the 1990s under a neglectful National Government, which led to the urgent need for that review of baseline funding.
Christopher Finlayson Link to this
How can the Minister assure the House that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice, when the High Court in Auckland is full to overflowing, there are no spare courtrooms, no spare judges’ chambers, and no plans to increase capacity any time soon, and all this has happened on his watch?
The Minister is aware that as a result of the roll-out of the resources referred to in the first answer, there are changes taking place. But, in conjunction with the judiciary, a national roster of judges has been introduced so that judges can be moved to different regions, as requested, to meet the various workload pressures. New judges have been appointed, the number of judicial support and criminal registry staff at the Auckland High Court has been increased, and work is being done with other agencies to ensure that cases are ready for hearing. This Government is getting on and addressing the challenges. They are real. Years of neglect by National made them so, but we are getting on and doing something about them.
Christopher Finlayson Link to this
How can the Minister assure the House that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice, when defended summary judgment applications in the High Court in Auckland can take up to 4-6 months to get a fixture, and when all this has happened on his watch?
I presume the member missed some of my previous answer. Numerous new programmes are under way, there have been numerous injections of resources, and additional judicial and administrative staff have been recruited to help address those very issues.
Kate WilkinsonHow can the Minister assure the House that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice, when cases in the High Court in Wellington are being allocated trial dates as far away as August 2007?
The member might not have heard the answer to the previous two questions. The additional judicial appointments, the additional administrative resources, the improvements to the administrative systems, and the technology that is being introduced are all beginning to address the issues the member raises.
How can the Minister assure the House that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice, when cases in the High Court in Christchurch cannot be heard until March 2007?
How can the Minister assure the House that the current court system is delivering speedy and inexpensive access to justice, when District Courts in South Auckland and Whangarei are under such pressure that court staff are refusing to allocate fixtures, even when cases are overdue for hearing?