Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:640;Page:10678] 
3.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
 to the  
Minister for the Environment 
: How many phone calls occurred between his political advisor Steve Hurring and the chief executive of the Ministry for the Environment regarding the employment of Madeleine Setchell as communications manager for the ministry and on what dates did those calls occur? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 Obviously my adviser has regular phone conversations with the chief executive on a variety of matters. I am advised regarding this particular issue that there was one call initiated by my adviser on 28 May seeking verification of a rumour. The chief executive was not able to verify the rumour immediately. I am advised that the chief executive initiated two or three subsequent calls that day to my adviser to report on progress in verifying the rumour. I am also advised that there was one further call on 29 May in which the chief executive confirmed that the process at the ministry had led to this possible conflict of interest not being properly identified. In that respect there was no blame on the part of Ms Setchell. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: If the Minister had the facts about Ms Setchell’s employment confirmed on 28 May as he said in the House yesterday why does the State Services Commission report which he relies on so heavily state that it was Mr Logan who informed the Minister after he had made his inquiries and does that not call into question just where the truth lies—with what the Minister told the House yesterday and again today or with the State Services Commission report? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: No; there is no contradiction between what I told the House yesterday and what is in Mr Rennie’s report. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister stand by his statement to the House yesterday that he did not discuss the issue with Mr Hurring even though he had had the rumour confirmed by Mr Hurring a month before Madeleine Setchell’s actual departure and does he now expect this House to believe that he took no interest had no discussions and did not talk about this matter with his close political adviser—or advise Mr Logan—even though he considered this a serious conflict of interest? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Matters of conflict of interest are not for me to decide and there was in fact nothing to discuss because I had been informed that Mr Logan was dealing with this issue. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Did Mr Logan ever ask the Minister for his opinion on the appointment of Madeleine Setchell given the Minister’s knowledge of her connections which she had disclosed during the interview process and were known to one of Mr Logan’s senior managers? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Mr Rennie and Mr Logan are quite clear on that matter in the report which I will read: “Mr Logan is clear that he made the decision independently and that the Minister was not involved in that decision.” 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That was not related to my question. My question was whether the Minister’s opinion was asked and whether he was party to discussions. The report is well known—it is out in the public arena. It is a relatively sanitised version of what must have been quite a range of discussions. We are simply asking whether the Minister’s view on this matter was sought by the State Services Commission when it was doing its report or whether it was sought by Mr Logan when he was making his decision. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I think the Minister addressed the question but if he wishes to add anything more I would invite him to do so. He does not. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: On how many occasions between 28 May when the Minister first became aware of Ms Setchell’s appointment and 3 July when Ms Setchell was asked to depart the office did the Minister have discussions with Mr Logan? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I do not have that information in front of me but it can be easily obtained. Discussions would have been in the course of the normal departmental meetings with the ministry. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Did the Minister at any time during any of those discussions with Mr Logan say to either him or his staff: “I do not want that woman in my office.”? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: No. 
Peter Brown 
: Does the Minister share my worrying concern that this crusade National is on on behalf of Madeleine Setchell has the potential if not to destroy then certainly to limit her career in the public service? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am hesitating because I am looking for the ministerial responsibility there. 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I think this matter has been professionally and properly handled by the State Services Commission and by Mr Logan. It is not the Government that has put this woman’s name into the public domain.