Simon Power National Party Law & Order Spokesman

28 June 2006

Prisoners get under-floor heating

The Labour Government has installed under-floor heating in the four new prisons, according to information received by National's Law & Order spokesman, Simon Power.

"This is astounding," says Mr Power. "Why do prisoners need under-floor heating?

"Not only that, but Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor is refusing to reveal the cost of this luxury."

Mr Power is releasing answers confirming that the four new prisons - Northland, Auckland Women's, Spring Hill, and Milton in Otago - have under-floor heating.

"I note that the Minister refuses to directly answer my questions, almost as if he is embarrassed to admit it. And I can see why.

"Not many law-abiding people can afford under-floor heating in their homes and he knows that the public would not be expecting to pay for it for some of our worst criminals, least of all those in sub-tropical Northland.

"My investigations show it costs up to $8,000 to install under-floor heating in an average house, so we can only imagine what it is costing in these prisons.

"Under this Labour Government, prisoners get trips to the beach, steak and ice-cream for meals, R-rated videos, and have seemingly easy access to cell phones, and reportedly even prostitutes - and now we have this.

"The prisons construction project has been a disaster from start to finish, with design faults galore and a budget that has blown out by a massive $490 million, with $11 million spent on landscaping.

"In Otago, locals talk about the Milton Hilton because each cell there has cost $650,000 to build. If anything, that description is understating it."

ENDS

© Scoop Media