Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19667. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.DAVID SHEARER (Labour—Mt Albert)to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Did his office receive an email at approximately 5.00 pm (New Zealand time) on 22 May 2014 advising that the Malaysian Government had refused to waive diplomatic immunity in Muhammad Rizalman’s case; if so when was that email opened?Mr SPEAKER: Before I call the Minister my office has been advised that this answer may be longer than normal.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs): As the Minister has already said publicly one staff member from his office was copied into an internal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade email on 22 May. The email reported that the diplomat had returned to Malaysia in light of a decision by Malaysian authorities to decline a request for a waiver of immunity. The staff member did not open the email when it was received as she was travelling at the time with limited communications capacity and was not the usual contact point for such reports. The email was identified in June when correspondence was reviewed in the office. The inquiry initiated by the Minister reflects the fact that the management of this case and associated events have had a serious impact on a young woman and have quite rightly undermined public confidence in the management of diplomatic immunity. The Minister expects the correspondence between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and his office to form part of that inquiry. He does not plan to comment further until that process is completed.David Shearer: Given that the Minister was travelling and was arriving in New York at the time was communication that difficult in New York to prevent the opening of that email and having it read?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I think that question has already been addressed in the opening answer. Basically they had limited communications capacity.David Shearer: If the Minister is saying that the email was received and not opened when was it finally opened in June?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I do not have that exact information. What I have said is that the email was identified in the office in June.David Shearer: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This question was on notice. It defies belief that this was not gone into before the Minister came to the House.Mr SPEAKER: The member is raising a reasonable point. It was a question on notice. We have identified that it was in June. I would have been hopeful that the date in June could also have been identified for the benefit of the House. The Minister is responsible for the answer; it is for the member to judge that answer.David Shearer: Given that revelation today why do the terms of reference into the investigation into what happened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade not extend to what was going on in the activities in the Minister’s office and the actions of the Minister himself in light of that investigation?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: It is up to Mr John Whitehead to consider how he undertakes this inquiry. The Minister expects the correspondence between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and his office to form part of that review and he expects to be interviewed as well as relevant members of staff.David Shearer: Given his answer to question No. 6 on 2 July that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade failed to inform its Minister will he now admit that the failure was actually his and his own office’s?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The point is that there is an inquiry into all these matters and the Minister of Foreign Affairs does not intend to comment further until that is concluded.