Foss Craig: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoss Craig: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 05 May 2009. Volume:654;Page:2829. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki)to the Minister of Finance: What measures has the Government put in place to obtain better value for public expenditure in preparation for the Budget 2009?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance):The Government has taken a number of measures to obtain better value for public expenditure. First we have made clear that the priority is fulfilling the promises of the incoming Government. Secondly we have made it clear to departments that we will fund only bids for emergency pressures not just any new programme. Thirdly we have charged Ministers and chief executives with reprioritising the commitments of the previous Government and we have employed purchase advisers to assist with the task.Craig Foss: How cost-effective has the use of purchase advisers been?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The use of purchase advisers has been very cost-effective. Almost all of them worked—[Interruption]—this is the bit those members do not want people to hear—in senior roles for the previous Government. They have been able to assist the Government in scrutinising $60 billion of public spending. The total cap on the cost of purchase advisers is around $400000.Chris Hipkins: Why will the Minister not simply admit that the Government instructed departments to appoint his hand-picked political hacks because they were trying to hide the fact that the number of Beehive staff has massively increased under this National Government at a time when its members are asking everybody else to stomach cuts?Mr SPEAKER: Did the Minister hear the question?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes I did.Hon Darren Hughes: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I doubt very much the Minister of Finance could have heard that question because I am sitting next to the member who asked it and I could not hear him. I ask you to allow him to put it again. There was a wall of noise—[Interruption] I am on a point of order. When Labour members take points of order will they be heard in silence?Mr SPEAKER: Absolutely. There will be silence.Hon Darren Hughes: I could not hear the member and my colleagues could not hear because of the wall of noise. I think it is only fair that he gets to restate his question.Mr SPEAKER: The dilemma of course is that the question was very politically loaded. I invite the member to repeat his question but if it is exactly the same I imagine there will be a similar reaction.Chris Hipkins: Why will the Minister not simply admit that the Government instructed departments to appoint his hand-picked political hacks because it was trying to hide the fact that spending on Beehive staff has massively increased under this National Government at a time when its members are asking everybody else to stomach cuts?Hon BILL ENGLISH: That member along with a number of other new Labour members would know what a hand-picked political hack was! I could not find any words that better described that member’s role in the previous Government and that is why public expenditure got out of control.Craig Foss: What would the result have been had better purchase advice been made available in previous Budget rounds?Hon BILL ENGLISH: In previous Budget rounds the Labour Government depended on hand-picked political hacks instead of well-informed and experienced people with years of public service behind them. The effect of that was that Crown expenditure grew by $20 billion or 50 percent in the last 5 years and there are not many new public services to show for it.Craig Foss: What previous arrangements to provide purchase advice is he aware of?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Unfortunately the previous Government decided to rely on hand-picked political hacks but actually purchase advice has been available to every Government. I understand that the previous Government either used hand-picked political hacks or installed Treasury officers in this role spread throughout the Beehive. This Government does not do what it is told by Treasury; that Government did.