Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:641;Page:10900] 
6.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
 to the  
Minister of State Services 
: What actions if any are being taken by the State Services Commission in light of the statement by the Prime Minister she was “unhappy” that Ministry for the Environment chief executive Hugh Logan had not disclosed the full extent of his conversation with the Minister for the Environment about the appointment of a ministry communications manager? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of State Services) 
: 
 I am advised that the State Services Commissioner has announced an investigation under section 25 of the State Sector Act into the recent handling by the Public Service of employment processes relating to Madeleine Setchell. The commissioner will determine any appropriate action once the results of the investigation are known. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: When Dr Prebble stated in his article in the  
Dominion Post  
on 20 July written about the sacking of the communications manager that: “ministers … ought not to be involved and I understand Environment Minister David Benson-Pope was not involved” was he telling the truth? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I suggest the member direct that question to Dr Prebble. I cannot speak on behalf of Dr Prebble. However I do know that Dr Prebble is a highly respected public servant and that if he did write something that was incorrect he would seek to address that as soon as possible. 
Tim Barnett 
: Has the Minister seen any other reports of expressions of unhappiness and what have been the consequences? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I do happen to have seen a report in which the Leader of the Opposition indicated that he was unhappy about comments made recently by Maurice Williamson who said that if some people cannot lose weight no matter what— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Point of order— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Minister be seated. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It has been a bad day for the Government when it comes to answers—[ 
Interruption 
] I am on a point of order. However I do believe that answers need to be given and questions need to be asked that are of some relevance to the primary question asked. Whether there is a degree of unhappiness from the Leader of the Opposition has nothing to do with this question which is about the unhappy expression given to the media by the Prime Minister about this particular matter. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member and I observe that it has probably been a bad day for Parliament so far. The report that the Minister is asked to comment on must relate to the portfolio area. The question relates specifically to the chief executive. I ask the Minister to confine her answers to the supplementary questions to within the context of the primary question. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: If we are talking about reports of unhappiness about the State sector then I have a number of reports in which the National Party has expressed unhappiness with the State sector. Have National members forgotten that they wanted to get rid of James Buwalda? Have they forgotten that they said they would sack Barry Matthews? Have they forgotten that Murray McCully attacked Te Puni Kokiri’s chief executive? Have they forgotten that they attacked the police in New Zealand? These are some of the unhappy things from the National Party. I think National members play a bit of a double game when it comes to making comments about the Public Service. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: When Dr Prebble stated in his article in the  
Dominion Post  
of 20 July 2007 written about the sacking of the communications manager at the Ministry for the Environment that: “ministers … ought not to be involved and I understand that Environment Minister David Benson-Pope was not involved” was he telling the truth? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: That is an identical question to one I have already answered and my answer is the same. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Is the Minister seriously asking the House to believe that New Zealand’s most senior public servant was incapable of remembering the most salient detail relevant to this case when he sat down to write his article in defence of the Public Service and that somehow his decision not to mention then his knowledge of what actually happened was perfectly acceptable for the State Services Commissioner? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: In this House yesterday I pointed out that Dr Prebble has said publicly that he had forgotten. He made a mistake he owned up to that mistake and he corrected that mistake. As I said everybody is entitled to make a mistake. We have heard plenty from the Opposition side of the House today. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister stand by her claim made in the House during question time yesterday that during the period 27 May to 4 August 2007 there were two or three phone calls between her and the State Services Commissioner or someone acting on his behalf and can she confirm that the State Services Commissioner has a no-surprises obligation on matters of potential controversy; and is she seriously asking the House to believe that Dr Prebble failed to tell her of a conversation that was important enough in the end for David Benson-Pope to get the sack? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I think members will find that the question from the member yesterday asked me what contact notes letters etc. I had had from 25 July. I think that was the date; it was not in May as was stated in the question. However I am happy to go back and tell the member of all contacts letters etc. that I have had. I have no problem with that. I do need to tell this House as I said yesterday that the first I heard of this issue was from the Deputy State Services Commissioner on Tuesday 3 July when he reported to me that he had met with the chief of staff for the Leader of the Opposition on the day before at the request of the chief of staff. He was informing me that they had had that meeting and that they had discussed an employment issue at the Ministry for the Environment and other matters including advertisements. That was the whole nature of the discussion I had. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister believe that she has been poorly served by the State Services Commissioner firstly in his failure to remember the most salient fact relating to this issue and secondly in his failure to recognise his obligation to ensure that the Minister was not faced with any surprises in this portfolio? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am disappointed that Dr Prebble failed to remember that until later but I agree with the Prime Minister that it is not a hanging offence. There is now a review and we will await the outcome of that review which will also look at Dr Prebble’s actions as well as the actions of others. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister of State Services have confidence in the State Services Commissioner? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes I do.