NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Education: What reports has she received on whether an attendance, absence, and truancy in New Zealand schools survey was held in 2008?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) : I received a report that states there was no truancy survey undertaken last year. This means that the Government has no data of any sort on national and regional attendance and truancy rates since 2006. To ensure that this Government has solid and up-to-date information on national and regional breakdowns on truancy, I have ordered that a survey be carried out this year.
Nikki Kaye: What reports has she received about whether the previous Government knew about the cancellation of the survey last year?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I have seen a reply from the previous Minister of Education to a written question last year, where he stated: “the next Attendance Survey will be in 2008.” I have also seen a comment from the same former Minister in January this year, where he said that he was not responsible for ditching the survey and that at no point was he asked about it. That raises a very serious question for Mr Chris Carter: if he signed out this answer to a written question that states that the survey will be held in 2008, and the survey was not held then, why did he never ask why not?
