Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:648;Page:17530] 
2.  
JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Racing; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes; because he is a hard-working and conscientious Minister. 
John Key 
: What assurances did the Prime Minister seek and what assurances did she receive from Mr Peters at their meeting yesterday? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I sought an assurance of lawful behaviour and I received that assurance. 
John Key 
: Is the Prime Minister telling the House that the standard she now requires of Ministers is simply that they can assure her that they have committed no illegal acts; if not what other requirements does she have of her Ministers? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Members would expect me to uphold the  
Cabinet Manual 
 which says that Ministers should behave appropriately and responsibly in their portfolios and generally maintain a good standard of behaviour. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: With regard to the questions about portfolio responsibilities that she has just been asked has she seen a report from Duncan Garner of TV3 that says: “National’s keeping a telephone book of ideas and proposals under wraps” in the hope that “news hacks with attention disorders move on quickly”; if so could this be the reason why National is not asking questions in this House about substantive policy issues? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please be seated. The first part of the question was all right. As for the second part there is no ministerial responsibility for what other parties think in the House. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. How is the first part in any way related to the actual question that has been asked which relates to confidence in the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Racing? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The question is a very broad and general one and the supplementary questions tend to follow suit. I call the Rt Hon Prime Minister but ask her not to address the second part of the question. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I did indeed see the report referred to as I saw a report in yesterday’s  
New Zealand Herald  
by Colin James that said that— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I am just reflecting again on your ruling that the question is broad and supplementary questions tend to be broad etc. The honourable member over there asked a question about a report that Duncan Garner—great reporter that he is—had made on TV3 about some aspects of National Party activity. That can in no way whatsoever relate to this question. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Of course if that were so then a very large number of questions that we have had about reports about New Zealand First activity would also be completely out of order. If members care to go back over many questions they have asked they would see that the Prime Minister is expected to be both omniscient and on occasion omnipotent. For her to be asked whether she has seen a report is a perfectly legitimate question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have heard enough. Thank you I think the member has explained himself well. I have always tended particularly with general substantive questions to allow very broad interpretations for those questions that follow up and are related. If in fact members wish me to have a much narrower interpretation then I will reflect on that and report back to the House. But Mr Brownlee I have ruled on this matter. If you wish to raise a different point of order that is fine; if it is the same point of order it will be taken as challenging the ruling of the Speaker. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I won’t do that. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Thank you. 
John Key 
: If getting an assurance from Mr Peters that he had committed no illegal acts was all that the Prime Minister achieved yesterday in their 1-hour meeting what on earth did they discuss for the other 59 minutes? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I think that is simply answered: I do not recall the meeting going for an hour. 
John Key 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm the explanation she gave at her press conference on Monday that “As long as Ministers are in their position I retain confidence in them.” and can we take that to mean that the strongest endorsement she can give the Minister of Foreign Affairs is that she has confidence in him because he is there? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The member will get caught up in his own tautology if he is not careful. It is perfectly self-evident that if a Minister is in the job I have confidence in that Minister. 
John Key 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm that she intends to apply the same test to Mr Peters as she applied to David Benson-Pope—that is when she said: “it’s not enough just to be capable you’ve got to be credible.”; and will she confirm that she finds all of the statements made by Mr Peters in the last week to be credible? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Certainly a lot more of them have been credible than the ones I have heard from that member who has taken every side of every issue. But I can say in respect of the comparison that the member is trying to draw that of course the issue of credibility I was drawing attention to in the case of the aforementioned member was one where I had been told one thing and another turned out to be the truth. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: I seek the leave of the House under Standing Order 4(1) to suspend Standing Orders so that I can put a question to the leader of the National Party asking him to itemise every donation the National Party has received from secret trusts and how the National Party and its allies used that money. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Rodney Hide 
: Can the Prime Minister assure the House— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Use Napisan. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the member please ask his question. 
Rodney Hide 
: The Minister of Education— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No would the member please— 
Rodney Hide 
: —has to be the saddest— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please Mr Hide be seated otherwise I will ask you to leave the Chamber. I was trying to ensure that the member could ask his question so I will ask that his question be heard in silence. 
Rodney Hide 
: Thank you Madam Speaker I appreciate that. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would you just ask the question. 
Rodney Hide 
: Can the Prime Minister assure the House that the standard she has applied to the Rt Hon Winston Peters’ staying on as Minister is the same standard that she would apply to her own Labour Ministers; if so have her own high standards now slipped so low that it is simply enough for John Tamihere David Benson-Pope or Lianne Dalziel—any number of Ministers—to assure her that they have not broken the law? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I can assure the member that I will give each case fair consideration on its merits. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Are there any more supplementary questions? I will call question No. 3. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That surely cannot be it. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member knows that that is not a point of order. If we have any more of those sorts of points of profile I will consider them to be creating disorder in the House. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It might help the member if I tell him that that certainly is not it. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. Please be seated. The same applies. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Perhaps we should seek leave to suspend the proceedings of the House using the same procedure Mr Anderton just asked for to allow Mr Peters to actually give the explanations to the House that he has been promising for some days now. He told everyone that today would be the day. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Is the member seeking leave? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I seek leave. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. A member cannot seek leave on behalf of another person; that is long since established. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Point of order— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Point of order— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: We have a competition here. I think the Rt Hon Winston Peters was marginally on his feet first. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It goes on seniority Gerry and brains—sit down. I gave a press conference last Friday. I recommend you read what I said Madam Speaker as opposed to what those people up there in the press gallery thought I said. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member knows members should not bring the Speaker into the debate or the discussion. There is a general debate where these matters can be fully expressed in the appropriate way. This is question time. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. If I was unable to seek leave because you accepted Michael Cullen’s offering in his point of order why did you put Mr Anderton’s leave which was also an expression of the House’s will? 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Mr Anderton sought leave himself to ask a question. 
Rodney Hide 
: In which case I seek the leave of the House to explain what has been happening to money for New Zealand First and the shenanigans that have been going on. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is objection.