Norman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNorman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19659. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green)to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What is the breakdown of the $240000 of taxpayers’ money spent entertaining oil company executives in 2011 and specifically how much of that money was spent on food and alcohol?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources):The total spend for the 4-day New Zealand Oil and Gas Summit 2011 was $237000 including around $22000 on catering $37000 on accommodation $12000 on Rugby World Cup hosting $10000 on other activities $20000 on a welcome reception for over 100 guests—Hon David Cunliffe: Wardrobe expenses.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: —and $40000 on a 1-day seminar Mr Cunliffe. I can also tell the member that the biggest spend on investment in oil and gas promotion in the last decade was in 2008 when Labour propped up by the Greens spent $745000.Dr Russel Norman: So can the Minister confirm that he spent $22000 on food and booze for the wealthy oil company executives using taxpayers’ money?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: No I was not the Minister but be very clear that spending on promotion is not unusual. Actually as a small country at the bottom of the world we do this in a range of areas from tourism to renewables to trade and I would remind the member that when his party was propping up Labour in 1 year they spent $745000.Dr Russel Norman: When was the last time he spent a quarter of a million dollars wining and dining clean-energy company executives—when was the last time he spent a quarter of a million dollars wining and dining clean-energy executives?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I personally never have. I have already said that promotion is not unusual. I will remind the member that maybe he should be grateful for the hard work I am doing given that he wants it to fund his so-called green bank slush fund.Dr Russel Norman: How many jobs have been created as a direct result of the oil executives’ $240000 trip to New Zealand?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I think we can say with some certainty that Statoil entered the country after that event. It is spending $20 million but of course promotion has been going on for a very long time under successive Governments. In 2012 $1.3 billion was spent by international companies on exploration—last year $1.5 billion. I think as I said that the member should show a little gratitude given all the money we are working on getting that one day he will get to waste.Dr Russel Norman: So is the Minister’s answer to the last question that zero jobs were created as a result of the oil executives’ $240000 trip to New Zealand which happens to be exactly what he told the New Zealand Herald yesterday when he said that there was no job creation in oil and gas production as a result of the $240000 spent wining and dining the rich oil company executives?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The member misleads the House. That is not a quote from me. What is very clear in the oil and gas industry is that it creates 7000 jobs directly. They are the highest-paying jobs in the New Zealand economy—on average $105000 per annum. Actually I think that places like Taranaki are really glad that we have this industry. The member opposes it but that is not the position—as David Shearer has said although his leader disagrees—of most New Zealanders.Dr Russel Norman: With the fourth-lowest oil royalty rate in the world and 90 percent of the profits going offshore according to the Government’s own reports is it not the case that deep-sea oil drilling is all about New Zealanders taking the risks while the foreign oil corporations take the profits?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Eight hundred million dollars a year in taxes and royalties is earned to pay for schools for hospitals and for infrastructure directly from this industry. On the issue of the royalties we get 42c in every dollar of profit. It is lower than the Norways of this world but were there significant finds we could well review that.