2. Todd Barclay—Southland Electorate Office Allegations Prime Ministerial ConductANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterTodd Barclay—Southland Electorate Office Allegations Prime Ministerial Conduct2. ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Have he or any of his Ministers ever deviated from the ministerial standards he expects in order to maintain the House's confidence in the Government?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): No and I would expect Ministers to maintain standards. For instance I would not expect my Ministers to be involved in foreign-worker exploitation.Andrew Little: Did he cover up his knowledge of the Todd Barclay affair for 18 months to protect the Government's majority in the House; if not why did he participate in that cover-up?Hon Simon Bridges: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think the issue here is that again this is something that he does not have responsibility for as Prime Minister. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. I think on this occasion judging from the questions yesterday other matters that have been raised in the House and a considerable amount of media coverage over recent weeks I am not in a position to judge whether the Prime Minister spoke in his capacity as leader of a political party leader of a caucus or as Prime Minister. But I have no doubt that the Prime Minister will have no difficulty in informing the House. I am going to ask the member Andrew Little to repeat the question now that it has been interrupted.Andrew Little: Did he cover up his knowledge of the Todd Barclay affair for 18 months to protect the Government's majority in the House; if not why did he participate in that cover-up?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: No I completely the reject the member's assertions. He needs to understand that just because he admitted to foreign-worker exploitation does not mean the 85 students are not still here.Andrew Little: Without wanting to veer into the fantasy world that the Prime Minister—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We will just have the supplementary question.Hon Steven Joyce: A little bit sensitive Andy?Andrew Little: No. No Steven. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! My warning to all members about the level of noise and interjection yesterday now applies to all members regardless of their seniority. I am asking Andrew Little to rise and ask his supplementary question.Andrew Little: Does he or any member of his staff have any knowledge of any person advising Todd Barclay to delete the tapes; if so who was it?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: No and I have no further comment to add to the 10-month police investigation there has been into that matter.Jami-Lee Ross: What steps has the Government taken that have helped to maintain the House's confidence in it?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The best thing the Government can do to maintain the House's confidence is to deliver for New Zealanders and maintain their confidence which is exactly what we are doing—for instance the Government is delivering more jobs more apprenticeships more police better roads better classrooms and better broadband. It has enough confidence of New Zealanders that we can find our own people to canvass and telephone while the Labour Party has to import free—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Andrew Little: Does he or any member of his staff have any knowledge of any person advising Glenys Dickson to withdraw her complaint because it threatened the Government's majority to pass legislation; if so who was it?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I have nothing to add to the 10-month police investigation into those matters.Andrew Little: Does he or any member of his staff have any knowledge of the sex and drugs matters that Todd Barclay was involved in?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I have absolutely no ministerial responsibility for whatever matters he is referring to but I know he is responsible for 85 foreign workers imported to canvass for the Labour Party.Andrew Little: Why has he failed to report his knowledge of potential obstruction of justice in relation to the police investigation of Todd Barclay?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there may be prime ministerial responsibility the right honourable Prime Minister.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I completely reject the member's assertions.Andrew Little: Can he confirm that the Government's Oranga Tamariki bill the local government bill and the employment relations bill are reliant on a single vote to pass and will fail if Todd Barclay resigns immediately?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I can confirm that the Government has always operated on a slim majority for the whole time it has been in Government. I can also confirm that while we are reliant on a small majority the Labour Party is reliant on foreign workers to do its campaigning for it.Andrew Little: Why is he prepared for his Government's support in this House to rest on a person whose behaviour the Prime Minister has described as unacceptable who recorded his staff who has refused to cooperate with the police and whose conduct has fallen so far below acceptable standards that he has felt the need to leave Parliament or is that the Bill English way?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Again I reject the member's assertions. I mean this Parliament includes a party that has imported 85 foreign workers it will not pay just to keep it as a viable Opposition.Andrew Little: Does he agree with his old local paper the Southland Times that politics is not a game in which bluffing and misdirection are to be placidly accepted as tactical necessities." and is it not time to cut the crap and come clean on the Barclay cover-up?Mr SPEAKER: Again—[Interruption] Order! Again in so far as there may be prime ministerial responsibility the Prime Minister can address one or either of those questions.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: No but nor do I think politics is a game where you import cheap foreign labour to try to beat up your public support."