Sam Lotu-Iiga has been withholding the extent of SERCO’s failures from the public with more revelations of breaches by the private prison, the Green Party said today.
Sam Lotu-Iiga has been withholding the extent of SERCO’s failures from the public with more revelations of breaches by the private prison, the Green Party said today.
It has been revealed by 3News, last night, that SERCO has lost $315,000 over and beyond the Specific Performance Notice deductions that were made in the 2014-2015 financial year. This amount does not include pending fines for ‘fight club’ breaches.
“In July, the Green Party asked the Sam Lotu-Iiga, in the House how many specific deductions from the performance-related fee were made and he only disclosed that $300,000 had been deducted.
“Now we know that SERCO was also penalised with a Department Notice totalling $315,000.
“There were plenty of opportunities in subsequent media stories for Mr Lotu-Iiga to admit that SERCO had also lost payments in addition to the $300,000 he told the Green Party about in Parliament.
“The Minister is being convenient with the truth by not disclosing the full extent of the financial penalties. You really have to wonder what else the Minister is withholding from the public.
“Corrections and the Minister are going out of their way to withhold the full extent of SERCO’s failings at Mt Eden Prison.
“The private prison model has failed and National knows it, but they are determined to limit the fallout by withholding information from the public.
“This is why we need an Independent Prison Inspectorate, as per my Member’s Bill, so that the public are not drip-fed the extent the information, if it is revealed at all,” said Mr Clendon.
