Parker David: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParker David: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1547. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour)to the Minister of Police: On how many occasions if any has he alerted the Prime Minister or his Office to a matter of significant public interest which he has been briefed on by his officials since his appointment?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery)on behalf of theMinister of Police: The Minister has spoken to the Prime Minister in his office a number of times about important police matters including on how police continue to help bring about further reductions in crime which of course is of prime public importance.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Yesterday we had the Minister of Police claiming that significant public interest meant that he ought not to have to answer questions. Unless we from the Opposition are able to ascertain how broad this somewhat ill-defined concept is how do we hold the Government to account in respect of whether it is being open with the public?Mr SPEAKER: It was a question on notice. I would have hoped for a more specific answer. The answer was—[Interruption] Order! The answer was given that it was a number of times so the question has certainly been addressed—I accept not to the satisfaction of the member asking the questions. The way forward now is for the member to ask incisive supplementary questions and in view of the circumstances I will allow the member an additional supplementary question.Hon David Parker: Thank you Mr Speaker. On how many occasions has he alerted the Prime Minister or his office to a matter of significant public interest on which he has been briefed by his officials since his appointment?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The Minister receives briefings from his officials on a weekly basis and as issues come up that are of prime public importance of course he discusses them with the Prime Minister.Hon David Parker: Does the Minister not know how many times he has advised the Prime Minister of issues of significant public importance since his appointment as Minister?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: In our organisation of Government Ministers speak with the Prime Minister very frequently something I know that would not be the norm for our opponents. The other point I would make is that it is abundantly clear to anyone reading this that the member is trying to get around to asking questions that he knows answers cannot be given to and therefore I would simply say to him again that when matters of prime public importance do come up that are able to discussed then of course they are discussed with the Prime Minister.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was not my question; my question was whether he knew how often he had raised matters of significant public interest since being appointed.Mr SPEAKER: And as I recall the answer it was effectively on numerous occasions so they are not calculated or collated in a way that he can give a specific answer.Hon David Parker: Did any of those instances relate to Mr Sabin; if so on what dates did those occur?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I refer the member to the answer given to a question that related to this matter in fact yesterday in the House.Hon David Parker: What public interest is being benefited from the Minister refusing to provide the dates on which he or the Prime Minister was briefed?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: It may surprise the member over there that we consider a number of things that the police are doing to be of prime public importance. It may be speed reduction on our roads. It might be the increase of blood-alcohol testing. It could be apprehensions for various levels of crime. It could be all sorts of new initiatives that the police want to bring in in order to reduce crime. Of course they are discussed. On numerous numerous occasions those matters are discussed.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is now evident that the Minister is not addressing the question that I raised which asked what public interest is being benefited from his refusal to advise the dates on which he advised the Prime Minister.Mr SPEAKER: I disagree with the member. The Minister was giving an answer to that. It was interrupted certainly by the member taking a point of order. I do not know whether the Minister wanted to complete his answer but he was addressing the question that was asked.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With respect I would ask you to review the answer that was given when you have the opportunity later because with respect that is not what he was doing.Mr SPEAKER: I accept the invitation from the member. I will certainly review the question and the answer that was given. I always do. But on this occasion I have ruled and the member needs to proceed with a supplementary question.Hon David Parker: When did he or his predecessor Minister Tolley first learn that the MP being investigated was a National MP?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I am not able to answer that. I can answer in my own capacity and that was when it was in the newspaper in December.