A bill to ensure victims will continue to get access to compensation paid to prisoners has passed its first reading in Parliament.
The bill would extend provisions in the 2005 Prisoners' and Victims' Claims Act that are due to expire at the end of June.
The Justice Minister says the bill is a temporary measure to make sure that victims' access to prisoners' compensation does not lapse between the expiry of the act and a second new bill the Government intends to introduce later this year.
The bill passed by 108 votes to 14, with the Green Party and the Maori Party voting against it.
