4. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Does he have confidence in his ministry; if so, why?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Once again, thanks for the welcome. Yes; because they are hard-working and conscientious public servants.
Why has the Ministry of Justice been unable to provide any information about the protection and custody orders involved in the Nai Yin Xue and Qian Xue case, except to tell the media “We can’t. It’s part of the rules.”, when the police have provided that information?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I understand that the answer the member just read out is the position of the officials.
What responsibility does the Ministry of Justice have for entering a custody order into the Customs Service system to prevent a non-custodial parent from taking a child out of the country, when the Customs Service has confirmed that in the case of Nai Yin Xue and Qian Xue it was “not in possession of any information or directions that would enable such intervention”?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
Those are the exact questions that have to be explored at the moment; we need to find out exactly what happened.
Has the Minister of Justice received advice that Nai Yin Xue’s passport had been seized by the court and held by the police, and was that because, under section 77 of the Care of Children Act, the court thought there was a risk he might abscond; and what good is the system if he is able to wander into a police station with his daughter and get his passport back?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
The member is highlighting exactly what has to be isolated at the present time in relation to how these matters happened, and that is what the Minister is doing.
What steps will the Minister of Justice be taking to ensure that the failure to enter custody orders into the Customs Service alert system in this case is not a wider, systemic problem, in light of a growing number of cases, such as those involving Jayden Hedley and Caitlin Jelicich?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
If, indeed, this matter highlights a trend—and we have yet to isolate exactly those facts—then, of course, the Minister of Justice will be ensuring that in the future those loopholes are closed down. The member has raised an issue that is a fair one. We need to make sure that we isolate the problems and make sure they are closed.