Goff Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoff Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 06 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:700. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Hon PHIL GOFF (Labour—Mt Roskill)to the Prime Minister: When he says “I am ruling out New Zealand sending SAS or any troops into combat roles in Iraq” for how long can New Zealanders rely on him to stick to this guarantee?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House)on behalf of thePrime Minister: Yesterday I ruled out sending SAS or any troops into combat roles in Iraq and I do not see that changing.Hon Phil Goff: Will this guarantee be more permanent than his last guarantee when on 16 June of this year he ruled out the SAS going to Iraq in any capacity only to reverse that position on 20 October after the election saying that the SAS going there was definitely an option?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Cabinet determined on Monday of this week a decision that we would engage in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on four aspects: diplomacy intelligence humanitarian aid and capacity building for Iraqi forces if requested by the Iraqi Government.Hon Phil Goff: When on 16 June of this year he ruled out New Zealand special force soldiers being deployed to Iraq even in his words “in an advisory capacity” does he stand by that promise or is that promise already past its use-by date?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: There are no SAS troops planned for deployment in Iraq.Hon Phil Goff: When he said yesterday that New Zealand military personnel deployed in Iraq would be “behind the wire” and limited to training local forces did he not previously use exactly those words about New Zealand troops in Afghanistan when we know that the training and mentoring role of the SAS actually involved combat roles in which two special force soldiers were killed in action?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: There are two very distinct situations here that are not alike. In Afghanistan our troops were involved in roles to advise assist and accompany. We are not intending that they will be involved in any of those aspects in Iraq.Hon Phil Goff: Prior to the Cabinet decision on Monday did the Government send any New Zealand Defence Force personnel or members of the SAS to the Middle East in relation to the campaign against ISIS in any capacity; if so when and in what capacity?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The New Zealand Defence Force is engaged in a number of posts in the Middle East as the member well knows and has been for many many years. We have for example been for I think 34 years involved in peacekeeping in the Sinai. The real point here is that some of those personnel will likely be involved in the exploratory work that the military has now been asked to do. They were in that area beforehand but they were not authorised to do that beforehand.Hon Phil Goff: Why does he imagine that a small group of New Zealand Defence Force trainers will make any difference to the quality of the Iraq army when more than 10 years of intense efforts on a massive scale by the United States in training that army failed to produce anything like a quality army?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No decision has been made about the capacity-building exercise that we may consider. That is why we have personnel there at the moment looking into what may be done. We are setting our own conditions around that and when we get all of that we will be able to make that decision.Hon Phil Goff: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very carefully worded and you will note that the Government has said that sending trainers there is an option. My question was not about whether it had made the decision but about why he would imagine making that decision would make any difference. That is quite precise. It was not answered at all.Mr SPEAKER: The honourable Minister wants to further his answer.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I say as the Leader of the House that the Prime Minister does not go around doing things based on imagination. He does it on clear facts and that is what he has the group to go and find for him.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Prime Minister confirm that members of the SAS are in Iraq now and have been for some time—yes or no?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: That is not my information.