The Government spent at least $140,000 on the Doone report on Maori crime to tell us what we already know, National's Justice spokesman Tony Ryall said today.

"This Government has promised a lot with its closing the gaps policy. Yet the best it can do to address Maori crime is to pay at least $140,000 for a 70 page report that doesn't tell us anything new and put less than $6 million a year into programmes that are already running.

"This report is no more than an expensive way to deal with a personnel problem. The Prime Minister created a job for Peter Doone to try to disguise what was in effect a golden handshake

"The over-representation of Maori in crime statistics is not new. National started to address the problem by funding early intervention programmes and promoting the integration of social services. We put a lot of work into programmes like Family Start, Strengthening Families, Social Workers in Schools and developing alternative learning centres for students with behavioural problems.

"The Government also has to realise that these sensible early intervention programmes are good for non-Maori too.

"The best Mr Doone could do is tell the Government to keep doing what National started. We could have given the Government that advice for free," Mr Ryall said.

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