Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 25 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13696. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) to theMinister of Conservation: Did he receive the draft submission on theRuataniwha Dam proposal which was requested by Doris Johnston Deputy Director-General at the Department of Conservation to be delivered on Tuesday 30 July 2013; if so on what date?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) on behalf of theMinister of Conservation: I am advised as he has previously advised that he did not receive the draft referred to until Tuesday last week after hearing about it on Radio New Zealand National’sMorning Report. He did receive the final submission on Wednesday 31 July.Hon Ruth Dyson: Were the contents of the submission he received consistent with the briefing on the draft submission he received on Monday 29 July; if not did he question the inconsistency?Hon TONY RYALL: I am unable to give an answer specifically on that other than to say that as Doris Johnston has said previously the Minister never saw the draft submission that is being talked about. It was never provided to his office. It was an internal working draft that managers accessed. They then decided that they would not make that submission.Hon Ruth Dyson: Why did he say to reporters on Thursday 19 September: “There was no mention to me of a draft submission. I did not know of the existence of a draft submission.” when he was briefed on the content of that draft submission on Monday 29 July expressed concern about it and asked for a copy of it before it was submitted?Hon TONY RYALL: The Minister has been quite clear. If you look at the note that he has received he has been advised that the Department of Conservation was evaluating the proposed plan and a preliminary view is that a submission should be lodged on the plan. As Doris Johnston made very clear: “The Minister did not play any role in my decision making.”Hon Anne Tolley: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt my colleague but three times the Hon Ruth Dyson accused the Minister of lying. That is not parliamentary language and I ask her to withdraw that.Mr SPEAKER: If the Hon Ruth Dyson did so that is unparliamentary. Would she stand and withdraw.Hon Ruth Dyson: I withdraw and apologise. When and how was he informed that a senior staff member resigned—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am going to ask the member to start that again. I could not hear above the interjection.Hon Ruth Dyson: When and how was he informed that a senior staff member resigned because the original submission on theRuataniwha Water Storage proposal was withdrawn?Hon TONY RYALL: The Minister has made it clear that he had not been informed of those circumstances when he last answered that question in the House which I think was yesterday.Hon Ruth Dyson: Is he ruling out any link between the withdrawal of the original submission and the staff member’s resignation?Hon TONY RYALL: I am not in a position as the Minister answering in his stead to be able to comment on that because that would actually be up to the employee to talk about. The real issue though here is the suggestion that the Minister—Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister made it clear that he was unable to answer that question. There is nothing more that he can add to the situation apart from getting the Minister down here.Mr SPEAKER: And on this occasion I finally agree with Grant Robertson.