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:653;Page:2599] 
3. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
 to the  
Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee 
: Further to his answer to question to members No. 4 yesterday when he “agreed” was he agreeing to a proposition put to him by the Minister for ACC? 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Once again we have a hypothetical question—which is interesting for a start—that tries to delve into matters that have nothing to do with the procedure of the committee. If we are to be opening up the issue of what a select committee chairperson becomes accountable for then please rule Mr Speaker and tell us because I think we have a right to know that. Where a question like that is being asked which is entirely hypothetically based I think the select committee chairperson is being put in an impossible position. Select committee chairs are not like the Speaker. They are part of Parliament. They do belong to caucuses they do have political views and they do exercise them. That is why the Standing Orders and the Speakers’ rulings have tended to ensure that all a select committee chair is responsible for is the procedure of the committee. The rest of us have put up with this questioning for quite a long time—for 4 weeks in fact—but now it is well and truly getting right outside the normal conventions of the House. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Two points should be made in response. The first is that your office Mr Speaker accepted this question with proper authentication showing that that agreement had been made. The second point I should make to reiterate the point I made earlier is that I was not questioning any decision made at a caucus. I was relying on Dr Nick Smith’s word that this had been made as a result of a phone call from Mr Bennett to Dr Smith. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: We are now getting into substance and not procedure. I realise that the House has been dealing with a difficult thing. But the Standing Orders provide for the chairs of select committees to be questioned. Chairs occupy an important role. Hypothetical questions are allowed. This is not a supplementary question; it is a primary question that has been accepted because it concerns the chairperson’s power to request persons to attend under Standing Order 191. So it is a proper question. Although these questions may be tough it is not my job to prevent members from being able to pursue questions that are legitimate under the Standing Orders. I invite David Bennett to answer the question. 
DAVID BENNETT (Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee): 
 I agreed that the Minister would attend and to my recollection no invitations were given by me as the select committee chair. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Was the member agreeing to a proposition put to him by the Minister for ACC; if not whom was he agreeing with? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: I agreed with the Minister for ACC that he would attend the meeting and there were no invitations given by myself or the committee.