Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 16 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4470. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
2. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he have confidence in his Ministers; if so why? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes; because they are hard-working and competent Ministers who are working hard for a better future for New Zealanders. 
Grant Robertson 
: How can he have confidence in the Minister for Social Development who despite being told by the Director of Human Rights Proceedings that she was wrong to release the details of beneficiaries for political gain has refused to apologise or even rule out doing it again? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I note that the director of proceedings for the Human Rights Commission has made the comment that this is a settled matter and that is where it lies. 
Grant Robertson 
: How is it credible for him to have Ministers such as Judith Collins say that she has zero tolerance for privacy breaches in ACC or for Work and Income staff to be sacked for accessing personal information when he is actively endorsing one of his Ministers—Paula Bennett—to do just that? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I can again only repeat to the member the words of the director of proceedings who said: “On the basis of the Minister’s letter to me I have agreed to close my file. The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The letter from the Minister [to the complainant is available in the public arena]. We have all agreed that the letter speaks for itself and we will make no further comment.” 
Grant Robertson 
: Does he agree with Judith Collins that people should lose their jobs over privacy breaches; if so why will he not dismiss Paula Bennett for doing just that? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: There was no breach found by the director of proceedings for the Human Rights Commission—simple. 
Grant Robertson 
: Would he have confidence in a Minister who released the details of tax paid by a business person who was campaigning for lower taxes; if not what makes that different from doing it to someone like Natasha Fuller who was asking for reinstatement of the training incentive allowance? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: That is a hypothetical suggestion and I am not going to answer a hypothetical question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister for Land Information when the Minister told the House yesterday that a pivotal court case involving May Wang—which case he gave as the reason for the Overseas Investment Office and him being restrained—had concluded when the truth is that that pivotal case is not finished but subject to adjournment until 14 September? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Because the Minister has handled this totally appropriately. He did not give authority for May Wang—or permission or approval for May Wang—to buy those farms and as soon as these legal matters are dealt with his department will in fact require those farms to be disposed of. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can he have confidence in the Minister for Land Information who got up in the House yesterday and gave erroneous information from his department and asserted it in numerous points of order and explanations to the House allowed by the Speaker when in fact the critical reason that he gave for delay is not the fact—the case is not over; it is adjourned in Hong Kong until 14 September? How can he have confidence in a Minister who gets it that wrong even on notice? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Well the question was not on notice. Secondly the salient point is that this is an illegal acquisition and it will be dealt with. 
Chris Hipkins 
: In light of his earlier answers can he give the New Zealand public an assurance that the Minister of Education Hekia Parata did not access any Government records of personal information in order to identify which schools teachers writing to her to express concern about class sizes worked at given that she sent her replies to those correspondents to their employers rather than to them; if not why not? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I can only speculate that the information probably came to the Minister of Education with the teachers themselves identifying the schools that they were in. Therefore it was referred to them. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How can the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister for Land Information when the Minister and his department chose despite 27 months’ delay not to use their powers under section 42 of the Overseas Investment Act which includes fines of up to $300000 to fine Ms Wang and her company for the illegal purchase of four farms? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: My information is that in this circumstance you cannot move until that court case is dealt with but the intention is the same. Those properties will be disposed of. 
Chris Hipkins 
: If it is revealed that the Minister of Education did in fact access personal records in order to identify which schools teachers corresponding with her about class sizes worked at will he expect her to resign; if not why not? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Another one of these speculative and hypothetical questions! My suggestion is that the member needs to set down a question to the Minister of Education to get better clarification of the situation. 
Chris Hipkins 
: I seek leave to table a letter that was sent to the chairperson of a board of trustees—with the name of the board chair and the board removed and the teacher’s name removed—from the Minister of Education dated 1 June 2012 responding to a letter that was sent to the Minister of Education expressing concern about class sizes. It was sent to the board not to the individual concerned. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.