English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5684] 
3.  
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: What procedures are in place to ensure that she has seen and read documents to which her signature is affixed? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 The procedure is that my signature confirms that I have seen and read a document. It does not mean that I will recall that paper or its detail 2½ years later. 
Hon Bill English 
: Does the Prime Minister recall questions in the House regarding the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor in which she wrote a foreword stating it was her Government’s goal to return to the top half of the OECD by 2011 and does she recall her response that she had no recollection of that foreword and how does she reconcile that response—that she had no recollection—with this document which is a memo from her adviser Nicholas Bain which asks her to “confirm you are happy with the foreword before I pass it on to the authors”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: At the time that was raised I did not recall that either. [ 
Interruption 
] Of course it has just been revealed that the member could not recall his party’s principles—in the middle of an election campaign! 
Hon Bill English 
: When she receives a memorandum addressed to her from a senior member of her office saying: “Please confirm you are happy with the foreword before I pass it on to the authors.” why should the House believe the statements she made that she had not seen the foreword could not recall what was in it and nothing in it was her responsibility? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: That matter was raised in the House by that member a few weeks ago. He is harking back to memoranda that were dealt with in late 2001 and as I say perfect recall with the best will in the world is not possible. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Does the Prime Minister recall on 23 February 1999 on the question of missing documents saying to the House: “The reason the Prime Minister was choosing the mechanism of a personal statement is that she knows that her word following that statement cannot be doubted” and further saying: “the Opposition was absolutely correct to insist that this be a ministerial statement.” then saying: “It comes down to the question of the integrity of the Prime Minister”? Was she right in what she said in February 1999 or is she right in what she is saying today? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I certainly recall the occasion. As I have already said I am somewhat more sympathetic to the former Prime Minister than I was at the time. 
Hon Bill English 
: Does the Prime Minister stand by her statement made recently that the public see her as a person who means what she says? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I stand by my statement that the New Zealand public appreciate the Prime Minister speaking her mind even if the Opposition does not. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Were these procedures in place when she signed a painting that she had not painted or were the procedures adopted after that incident? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I do not intend to traverse that matter. It has been well dealt with in the House. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does the Prime Minister recall saying that she is a person who front-foots issues and that being the case could she please advise some of us who are interested in physical sports how one front-foots things when one is constantly on the back foot? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The member should know—he has not been able to get a single allegation to stick in the last 3 years. 
Rodney Hide 
: Has the Prime Minister any advice for the public of New Zealand and for Parliament so that when she is front-footing an issue and speaking her mind we can tell that firstly she is recalling everything; secondly she is conscious at the time of making her statement; and thirdly she is actually telling the truth and is correct; or are we to find out only if she subsequently gets caught out? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I can assure the public that I answer each question to the best of my ability which is more considerable than some. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is it now the case that the standard by which this Government and her behaviour should be measured is that the Prime Minister of New Zealand takes no responsibility for anything that she cannot recall absolutely clearly; and if that is the standard how do we know when she is not selectively forgetting things that do not suit her? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: There would simply be no truth or honesty in pretending to recollect things one does not. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Accepting totally that she is doing the best according to her ability that she was not conscious that she was misleading the House yesterday and given her performance over the last 3 weeks does the Prime Minister think she is up to the job? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: If I can paraphrase my own words I am a hard-working and conscientious Prime Minister. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Could the Prime Minister clarify whether she said “conscious” or “conscientious”? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No. The member is just making a fool of himself.