Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:611;Page:8401] 
11.  
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (NZ National—Nelson) 
 to the  
Minister of State Services 
: Who was the public servant who made the inquiry to the State Services Commission in July 2002 who concerned about the political neutrality of the public service said: “The appearance may be that the public servants are no more than political puppets especially since what they are now saying is different to what official papers at the time said.”? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of State Services 
: The Minister has not been advised who the public servant was who made the particular inquiry. As the member indicated the approach was made to the State Services Commission. That is entirely appropriate as it is the State Services Commissioner who is responsible for maintaining the political neutrality of the public service. Public servants who are in any doubt about matters of conduct or integrity should be encouraged to seek guidance from the commissioner. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Noting that the Prime Minister said these words: “I would welcome a select committee inquiry I am very happy for officials to speak completely openly because there’s nothing to hide. I am not putting any restrictions on anyone talking.” how can the select committee possibly interview this person who effectively believes that the Government was lying on this issue; how can we talk to this person if the Minister will not say who it is? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I would imagine that the best way of approaching this since the person is clearly known to the State Services Commissioner whom that person appropriately wrote to and who appropriately replied back would be to talk to the State Services Commissioner who appears in front of select committees. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Will the State Services Commissioner be investigating the apparent discrepancies between the statements made to the select committee by civil servants and the documents dating from late 2000 and does he think it strange that all civil servants are now agreeing in every detail in their account of what happened? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Minister’s understanding is that the State Services Commissioner has been very interested in this process that all documents of course were released before the document that is being referred to by Nick Smith was able to be released and that he has subsequently been very much interested in making sure that all public servants behave in an appropriate fashion and that all material is made available. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does he agree with the anonymous public servant when he said what the civil servants are now saying “is different to what official papers at the time said” or is this another example of a public servant making “a sarcastic and humorous response”? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I imagine this has been dealt with fully by the fact that public servants under the umbrella of the State Services Commission with the State Services Commissioner at their head did appear in front of Opposition MPs and in front of the media to explain all of this at a press conference so that nothing was held back. They have been very open. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Will the Minister give an assurance to this House that the select committee will be advised who this public servant was or is the Government now backtracking on the commitment given by the Prime Minister that the select committee would be able to speak to anyone who made any comment about the “corngate” issue? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Prime Minister of course has made statements that she fully stands by but I repeat that this person appropriately wrote to the State Services Commissioner and that is the appropriate place to go to. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The base question that I laid today was who the person was. The Minister says to go somewhere else and get it—get it off the State Services Commission. I then asked a very simple question as to whether the select committee would be able to know who the person was so that it could properly complete its inquiry. Again the Minister did not answer the question. If we cannot get answers to questions in the House quite frankly what is the point of Parliament or question time? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member makes a rather silly comment at the end. There is a great deal of point in Parliament and question time. A lot of things come out in question time. The Minister did address the question. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Will the Minister give an assurance that the State Services Commission will advise the select committee of who the person was who wrote this message so that the select committee can get to the bottom of the “corngate” issue? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The memo was appropriately written to the State Services Commissioner and the question is therefore appropriately directed as to whether he wishes to disclose the name of that person. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Ah! 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I say to the member who as usual brays in the middle of the answer to his own question that getting to the bottom of the issue created by himself is not something that anybody else cares about in this House. We know that there is no issue here to be dealt with or to be got to the bottom of. If he really wants to know who this person is then the appropriate person to go to is the State Services Commissioner.