Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:670;Page:16896] 
8. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
 to the  
Minister responsible for Ministerial Services 
: Was he or any other Minister aware before the end of last calendar year that the ministerial BMW fleet was to be replaced? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Economic Development)  
on behalf of the  
Minister responsible for Ministerial Services 
: Ministers were not briefed ahead of the decision to replace the fleet which was made by the Department of Internal Affairs in November 2010. Following the department’s decision it is my understanding that the Minister of Internal Affairs wrote to the Minister of Finance on 17 December about the retention of surpluses on the sale of VIP fleet vehicles. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Is he John Key responsible for the budget of Ministerial Services for the 2010-11 financial year? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: The Minister responsible for Ministerial Services is responsible for the Ministerial Services budget. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Was the spokesperson for the Department of Internal Affairs correct when he said yesterday that the contract entered into during the term of the last Government had no obligation to purchase further cars this year or in any other year and that there would be no penalty if no cars were purchased? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: My information is that that is correct. If the contract is terminated there is no contract penalty for ending the contract during its term. But there would be substantial cost in managing a further competitive tender and there is no evidence that a less expensive fleet of fit-for-purpose vehicles could be bought. What I would say is that the previous Government did such a splendid job that there is no way that even now any other company can compete for the contract. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Which of the following optional extras that come with the new BMWs will be supplied with the new fleet: the massage chairs that relax the occupant’s thorax shoulders and lumbar spine; the four air conditioning units that enable the driver and the front and rear passengers to each set their own individual air temperatures; the DVD players in the rear seats; the 16 high-performance speakers; or the automatic closing doors? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Can I simply say that we would expect the same austerity to be exercised by those purchasing the cars on behalf of the Government as was the case under the Helen Clark regime. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a very specific and serious question. Taxpayers’ money is being spent on this. I request a list of what has been— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member asked a question and the Minister answered the question. That may not have been done in exactly the way that the member asked it but the Minister gave a perfectly reasonable answer that a whole lot of options were missing from the cars the first time round and he expected the same options to be missing from them the second time round. That seemed to be a perfectly reasonable answer. We cannot insist on anything further. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: How often has John Key used the new BMW currently carrying a CR number plate in Auckland? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I am not able to answer that question but I suggest to the member that when the Prime Minister travels on behalf of the nation the last thing he is interested in is the number plate or the model and make of the car.