Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 26 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5660. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he accept that under the Government Communications Security Bureau Act 2003 section 8(3) that the performance of the GCSB’s functions is in the absence of any warrant or vested authority subject to the control of the Prime Minister? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes I agree on the wording of the legislation but as I said yesterday I am responsible for the direction and priorities of my agencies but I am not briefed nor would I expect to be briefed on every operation they undertake. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is he concerned that it took nearly 40 days for the Deputy Prime Minister to inform him of the signing of the ministerial certificate which withheld information from the public regarding Government Communications Security Bureau operations in the Dotcom raid? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No because that was the litigation technique used. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: When was his chief of staff first informed about the Deputy Prime Minister signing a ministerial certificate on 16 August which withheld information from the public regarding Government Communications Security Bureau operations in the Dotcom raid? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I do not exactly know but to the best of my knowledge it was on Monday the 17th when I knew. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Did the Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Coordination comprising the police department the Government Communications Security Bureau the SIS the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade know about the Government Communications Security Bureau’s involvement in the Dotcom case; if so when? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I am simply not in a position to understand whether those organisations knew that or not. What I do know is that the first I was aware of it was on Monday 17 September. Whether those other organisations had some information I am not sure. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Yesterday the Prime Minister advised that he learnt of the ministerial certificate on the evening of 24 September. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No Monday the 17th. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: No no. When he was asked yesterday he said “last night”—that was the 24th. It is in the  
Hansard 
. Now he says that the chief of staff knew on the 17th and he did too. Which answer is correct is what I am trying to find out now. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well that is a very good question for the member to ask. It is not actually a point of order; it is a question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: All right. Mr Speaker I have got only a limited number of questions—we all know that. Righto. Did he seek an explanation from the Deputy Prime Minister on the evening of the 24th—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! There is a question from the Rt Hon Winston Peters. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I am happy for him to clear it up if he wants to. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No no the member is asking a question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: OK. Did he seek an explanation from the Deputy PM Mr English on the evening of 24 September for his not having told the Prime Minister about the substance of the ministerial certificate he signed on 16 August while acting in the Prime Minister’s stead? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I think the member’s dates are all wrong. I could be wrong but from memory Bill English met with the Government Communications Security Bureau as Acting Prime Minister on 17 August not 16 August. I was advised by the Government Communications Security Bureau on 17 September. I did a press conference this week which was on the 24th. The reason I did it on the 24th was that on the 17th  at the time I was told I immediately said— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We cannot get anywhere on this because the date on this certificate is 16 August not 17 August. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! There has been a bit of cross-purposes here I think and because I am uncertain I invite the member to repeat his question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: OK. Did he seek an explanation from the Deputy Prime Minister on the evening of 24 September as he told the House just 2 days ago for his not having told the Prime Minister about the substance of the ministerial certificate he had signed on 16 August which is the date on the certificate whilst acting in the Prime Minister’s stead? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I am not sure I would phrase it as I asked for an explanation. Obviously we had a discussion about it. He was of the view that the Government Communications Security Bureau would probably inform me of that matter. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Does the Prime Minister accept that the Deputy Prime Minister in signing out the ministerial certificate on 16 August against a backdrop of Government Communications Security Bureau illegal activity was an attempt by the Deputy Prime Minister to cover up that illegality? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No that is nonsense. The advice that the Acting Prime Minister had at the time was that the Government Communications Security Bureau was acting lawfully. The certificate he signed was a suppression order for the courts. That was the advice and belief of the Government Communications Security Bureau.