1. Ministers—ConfidenceHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSMinisters—Confidence1. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in all of her Ministers?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she have confidence in her Associate Minister of Education who despite section 2.69 of the Cabinet Manual which states Ministers should take care however to ensure that they do not become associated with non-governmental organisations or community groups where: a. the group's objectives may conflict with government policy; b. the organisation is a lobby group; or c. the organisation receives or applies for government funding." has not declared any perceived conflict of interest in relation to He Puna Mārama Trust?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Could I advise the member that there are three associate education Ministers. Which one is she referring to?Hon Paula Bennett: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. May I answer the Minister's question?SPEAKER: The question's been addressed—not quite in the normal frame but it's been addressed.Hon Paula Bennett: All right. Have any of those Associate Ministers of Education declared any conflicts of interest in relation to charter schools?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: To cut to the chase seeing as allegations have been in this House and they were against Mr Davis on this matter can I say that the Cabinet Office has given a ruling on this matter inside the construct of the rules around the Cabinet Manual and they have found that the allegations in this case are baseless.Hon Paula Bennett: So in light of section 2.79 of the Cabinet Manual which states any Minister who is an associate Minister to a portfolio irrespective of their delegations needs to manage any possible conflict how has her Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis managed his conflicts of interest in relation to He Puna Mārama Trust?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Because in Mr Davis' case all he did—Hon Steven Joyce: "How" not "because"—"how".Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I know whether it's was how when and why. If you'll keep quiet I'll let you know. Hon Steven Joyce: How? Just answer the question.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Unlike that massively conflicted former Minister we know what the Cabinet Manual says. In Mr Davis' case he merely provided information to the trust pointing them to the publicly available information. Better independent judges on this matter in terms of the Cabinet Manual ruling have decided that he has offended no rule at all.Hon Paula Bennett: Hmm a bit defensive. Does she expect all of her Ministers to sign out their own answers to written questions?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I would imagine that every Minister is responsibly looking at their questions. I know that we were attacked with a telephone volume of questions by the former National Party Government when they went into Opposition in some sort of vindictive act but I would imagine that every member every Minister would be signing out their own written questions.Hon Paula Bennett: Does he have confidence in her Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media who doesn't seem to sign out her own answers to written questions and thinks a breakfast with a senior manager in a Government entity she's responsible for isn't a meeting and fudges details in written and oral questions?SPEAKER: Order! Well I am going to let the Minister answer it but there were probably three allegations that were made—unsubstantiated allegations made—as part of that question all of which are strictly out of order.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The fact is that having a casual breakfast meeting with someone which is very frequent given the proximity of the media to politics in this part of the country namely Wellington is not going to give rise to a conflict of interest or failing to disclose information as to the official nature when it may well just have been sharing a breakfast.Hon Paula Bennett: Does she have confidence in her Minister for Māori Development given she had to withdraw 67 misleading written parliamentary questions?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The answer to that is if the officials wrongly prepared the answer—[Interruption] Well I do recognise—SPEAKER: Order! No I just ask the Deputy Prime Minister to sit down. If members on my left want this line of questioning to continue they will let the answers continue. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I do realise that some members of this House claim to have an elephantine memory and are able to answer all their questions without any preparation at all from their civil servants. We admit to being far more humble than that and we rely upon the Public Service of this country to prepare the answers. Sometimes they may get it wrong and that's why they'll be withdrawn. But there's no—Hon Paula Bennett: But you just said Ministers sign them out. You just said Ministers sign them out.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Yes I just said Ministers sign them out because with civil servants having prepared them you'd expect the Minister to rely upon those civil servants—bearing in mind these were the same people gifted to us by the former Government after nine years of being in office. Hon Nanaia Mahuta: Does the Prime Minister agree that in order to ensure administrative accuracy it may be a possibility that written questions would have to be amended? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh most definitely. That sounds like the reasonable rational sane thing to do which is why it has appeal on this side of the House and no appeal over there. Hon Paula Bennett: So does she have confidence in her Minister of Foreign Affairs given he railed vehemently against the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement for years and now suddenly seems to be one of its biggest supporters? SPEAKER: There's no—sorry. Does the member want to have another go at the question. Hon Paula Bennett: Oh nah. SPEAKER: All right. You understand? All right. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I cannot think of a Minister that the Prime Minister has got more confidence in because what that Minister has managed to do alongside the Minister for trade and other colleagues is to take a ragtail sell-out of this country's sovereignty and turn it around in the national interest. That's why Donald Trump wants back in."