Fitzsimons Jeanette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Fitzsimons Jeanette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:618;Page:13911] 
1. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Will she ask the Governor-General to appoint a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations made in an affidavit read to the House yesterday by the Hon Ken Shirley so that they can be seen to be considered in a non-political setting; if not why not? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I understand that the matter has been referred to the Speaker to consider whether a matter of privilege is involved. It would be inappropriate to make any comment while this is happening. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Is it not desirable that where the reputation of a member of this House is being seriously impugned the matter is seen to be considered away from the possible perception that political factors might influence any decisions? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: If the question being raised is a question of a breach of the Standing Orders the Privileges Committee is entirely the appropriate place to deal with that. If there are others who think there are criminal matters involved then the course open to them is to go to the police. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Prime Minister tell the House whether she has ever in her long political career seen such serious allegations made about a member of Parliament and can she further tell us whether she is aware that the Privileges Committee cannot act at this point because there is no prima facie case and does she therefore— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I just interrupt the member to say that I have received a letter that I am giving consideration to. There has been no ruling on that letter yet. The member might like to rephrase the question. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: That is new information to me. I apologise for that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is all right. Re-ask the question. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Has the Prime Minister ever seen in her long political career allegations as serious as this ever laid at the feet of a member of Parliament; does she accept that these allegations if not dealt with by some form of inquiry bring all parliamentarians and this Parliament into disrepute; and if there is an inability for the Privileges Committee to move will she then consider asking a commission similar to the one asked for by the Greens to look at the matter in order that the member himself may clear his name? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There were three questions there. With regard to the first one the Prime Minister is not responsible for privilege matters but she can certainly answer the second and third questions. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Over the more than three and a half decades that I have taken an interest in politics I can think of at least two other examples of very serious allegations being made against members of Parliament. I repeat: if the issue is a breach of the Standing Orders the Privileges Committee is the place for it but the Speaker will have to determine whether it justifies that. If members feel that a criminal offence may have been committed then they should go to the police. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Can the Prime Minister assure the House that Winston Peters’ extraordinary and inexplicable U-turn in support of the Government’s foreshore and seabed legislation is in no way related to assurances she has given that this matter will not be pursued by the Government? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Let us be very clear: this matter has never been discussed with Mr Peters. Nor I might observe was there a U-turn on that legislation. Mr Peters had never signalled what his view of it was to the best of my knowledge.