Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Key John: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:637;Page:7319] 
1. JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by the statement in the Speech from the Throne in 1999 that her Government would “restore public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
John Key 
: Does she stand by her statement on 14 September 2005 when she said of her then Minister Taito Phillip Field that “I think the only thing he is probably guilty of is trying to be helpful to someone.” or her statement last year on the release of the Ingram report when she said of Mr Field that “the report does not find wrongdoing by Mr Field”; if so how does she reconcile that with her comments made earlier in the week when she said in relation to Mr Field’s behaviour that it was “immoral” “unethical” and “unacceptable”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The Labour Party has been clear all along that the behaviour was unacceptable. 
Gordon Copeland 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I was unable to hear the Prime Minister’s response and I think we would be keen to hear it in this part of the House. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: It is useful at this stage to remind members unless we are going to have an enormous amount of repetition and people leaving the Chamber that members should be given the courtesy of being heard whether they are asking or answering questions. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The Labour Party has been clear all along that the behaviour was unacceptable. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: To what extent does the Prime Minister believe that public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process has been damaged by revelations of cynical political manipulation outright lies and treachery—as revealed by the book  
The Hollow Men— 
as being commonplace in the National Party caucus and leadership? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I think you may have noticed since you have been in the Chair that there is a division in this House—roughly one-third there one-third of course at the back bench and one-third over there. You will have observed surely that the volume of noise coming from some parts is in no way similar to that from this end of the House where people on the whole listen to the questions and do not jeer during the questioner’s time for asking the question. That was a repetition of what we have seen in previous years. I will not point to any political party other than to say that there is nothing special about those members that warrants their getting preferable treatment to that of members at this end of the House where people in the main have been much more quiet in their behaviour and prepared to await the parliamentary process. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member. He is making the point again that there was a total disregard of my request that we observe freedom of speech in this House which means that members can be heard. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The events the member referred to in the question of course cast doubt over the integrity in politics and to my mind a measure of whether the National Party members can put  
The Hollow Men 
 behind them will be whether they vote for campaign spending law reform. 
Heather Roy 
: How does the Prime Minister think it boosts confidence in this Parliament when she denies that Kiwi kids go to school hungry denies our health service is sick and denies that our justice system is not working? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have never denied that some children go to school without food. What I say is that our schools get on with doing something about that. 
John Key 
: Does the Prime Minister stand by her statement this morning in relation to Taito Phillip Field when she said: “When the word started to come out just prior to the last election of some of the practices in the office obviously we were extremely concerned and that concern has never gone away.”; if so could she tell the House why she set up the Noel Ingram inquiry in such a way and with such terms of reference that she knew it would never be able to answer the questions if she had such concerns? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have said many times in the House that the inquiry looked at whether there was a conflict of interest for Mr Field as a Minister. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: How does it help to restore public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament when the Leader of the Opposition promises to engage in further discussions around means of making monetary policy work better then when the heat comes on claims he was merely being polite? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Of course the series of flip-flops we are used to seeing from the Leader of the Opposition does nothing to enhance public confidence in him or his party. 
John Key 
: Can the Prime Minister explain how her decision yesterday to start expulsion proceedings against Mr Field restores “public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament” when for the record she did not expel him when she thought he was “immoral” and “unethical” and she did not expel him when she thought he was “exploiting vulnerable constituents”; in fact the only reason he seems to be getting expelled is that he had the audacity to challenge the Prime Minister and steal her thunder on the day she was delivering her speech to Parliament—which for the record was not worth the effort on his part? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I think any reasonable person would say that the Labour Party had showed patience beyond endurance. That has just ended. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: To what extent does the Prime Minister believe that political reputations for integrity in Parliament will be damaged by the publishing in  
The Hollow Men 
 of an email from Exclusive Brethren leader Ron Hickmott setting out in detail plans to spend $1 million to support the National Party sent to John Key when Mr Key later denied he had ever known anything about the plans? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The Government was always puzzled as to how Mr Key could remember not seeing an email. But whether or not he saw the email the email addressed to both Mr Key and Dr Brash stated that the Exclusive Brethren had “enjoyed your presentation”. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: This is a very general and broad question. However I just remind members that we should come back to the essence of it. 
John Key 
: Has the Prime Minister been in contact with the leaders of United Future and New Zealand First to discuss the changing nature of her Government support arrangements and what assurances or undertakings did they seek now that they know they are being dragged into what could only be described as a coalition of the unwilling? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The leaders of both parties are well aware that post-election arrangements were set up that ensured the Government had a majority on confidence. Nothing has changed about that. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: What does it do for the integrity of the political system when a member of Parliament registers his or her car at the address he or she actually lives at but on the electoral roll has an entirely different address that happens to be in the electorate he or she was standing for as Mr Key did? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: As I said to members—[ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. If members wish to remain in the Chamber they will keep quiet. As I said to members although this question is a very broad one there is no ministerial responsibility for that matter. Supplementary question John Key—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. With respect— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please be seated Mr Peters. I am sorry but I did not see you. I did not hear your call. I did see and hear the call of the member John Key. You will be next. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry Mr Peters but I have ruled on this matter. So let us proceed please. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. You can actually sometimes say: “I made a mistake and should not have called Mr Key because he has already had four questions. Therefore I seek to rectify my mistake.”—which I ask you now to do. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have ruled. 
John Key 
: Did the Green Party seek any additional demands of her Government when she contacted its leadership yesterday to reaffirm its abstention on confidence and supply? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: No. The abstention agreement is based on both sides working together in the working agreement and cooperating on certain issues and that continues. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: On the question of public confidence and the integrity of Parliament what are her views as to which is worse: allegations made about an MP that have been denied and are the subject of preparation for a possible court action in a country that believes that people are innocent until proven guilty or the clear purchasing of party political policy and funding of campaigns disclosed in a book called  
The Hollow Men 
 which are yet to be denied by the National Party—which is worse? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Clearly the latter is worse. It portrays a level of cynicism and manipulation of the political process without precedent in this country. That is why it is called  
The Hollow Men 
.