13614 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Corrections

13614 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister of Corrections: What is the total amount, if any, spent on external legal advice or law firms by any agencies under the Minister’s responsibility since 27 November 2023, broken down by firm and purpose?

Hon Mark Mitchell: As one of New Zealand’s largest public service departments, Corrections employs over 10,000 staff and is responsible for managing around 10,500 prisoners and approximately 26,000 people in the community. Corrections manages 17 prisons and a significant number of Community Corrections sites across the country. I refer the member to the attached table, which provides a list of the amount Corrections has spent on external legal advice or law firms between 27 November 2023 and 21 March 2025, broken down by provider. I am further advised that Corrections cannot report on the purpose of the legal advice as this is not held in a readily retrievable format. To provide this information would amount to substantial collation and manual analysis to provide an answer to, which I am not prepared to ask of my officials for the purposes of this response.