Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:652;Page:1308] 
6.  
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Does he stand by his statement about the Prime Minister that “Getting on those bloody planes he comes back with 10 different things. I just say we’ll look at that. The occasional one you just say that’s not going to work.”; if so which of the Prime Minister’s ideas has he rejected? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister of Finance 
: The honourable Prime Minister welcomes free and creative discussions in his team where innovative ideas can be freely debated. The Minister can understand if that was not the environment that that member was used to back when he was a Minister. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Mr Speaker—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Those members should let their colleague ask a question. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Has he had any free and fruitful discussions with the Prime Minister about his off-the-cuff suggestion made at yesterday’s press conference that Fisher and Paykel Appliances may be in need of a bail-out or does he believe that such speculation may risk further undermining of confidence in a publicly listed company? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: As the Prime Minister has said previously last month and also yesterday we have said consistently that Government financial support could possibly be provided to corporates if required but very much as a last resort. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Hon David Cunliffe. 
Chris Tremain 
: Supplementary question Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Chris Tremain. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member had not called and I believe you had accepted my call. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Members are normally pretty generous on the way the House flows and I was very grateful for the way the Hon Annette King let Jeanette Fitzsimons take the call when I made a mistake. I ask the member to be reasonable. If he insists I do have to accept that. He made the first call and if he insists I will go to him. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: No objection. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Thank you. 
Chris Tremain 
: What other ideas has the Minister seen for effectively managing our way through the current recession? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: None at all from the Opposition but apparently its finance spokesperson is working on something and hopes to have it ready before the next election or perhaps before the next global recession. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Does the consistency to which the Minister previously referred include his previous comments that “Imagine the billion dollars just spent on Air New Zealand and the ‘People’s Bank’ that could have been invested in fixing infrastructure. The Government is running loose with hard-earned taxes and debt. It should make you sweat.”; or is that one of the things one says in Opposition but not in Government? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: In light of the current global financial recession we have said consistently over the last month that we would consider Government financial support but again very much as a last resort. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Can the Minister confirm that as referred to yesterday by the Prime Minister the operations and mandate of the Overseas Investment Office are currently under review by a ministerial subcommittee that will be reporting to Cabinet by March 2008; and when will the Government make publicly available the objectives and terms of reference of that review or is it the Government’s practice to conduct economically critical discussions in secret? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No it is not being asked to report back by March 2008. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Has the Prime Minister given Fisher and Paykel Appliances an undertaking that that company will not be allowed to collapse? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Our primary method of supporting the corporate sector is to ensure that the banking sector is sound. We have then said that any companies having difficulty would be asked to explore every commercial option before considering any approach to the Government and that if any consideration of Government financial support were needed it would be very much as a last resort. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Although that was a very good general answer the question was a very specific one: has the Prime Minister given an assurance to Fisher and Paykel Appliances? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There are a couple of problems with what the member is seeking me to assist him with. The first is that the Minister is not responsible for what the Prime Minister may or may not have said to Fisher and Paykel Appliances. Secondly the question is getting very specific when there was a very general primary question. I think that the matter has therefore been taken as far as it can be. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: If I may speak on that point—and I thank you Mr Speaker for your tolerance—when Prime Ministers make pronouncements in areas of responsibility of Ministers then it is certainly within the Ministers’ responsibility to answer. I think if— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will take his seat. I have heard sufficient and the Minister does not have responsibility for what the Prime Minister may or may not have said. That is the end. [ 
Interruption 
] He is not answering as the Prime Minister.