Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:657;Page:6280] 
11.  
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
 to the  
Minister of State Services 
: Is he satisfied with the application of the  
Government’s Expectations for Pay and Employment Conditions in the State Sector 
 released in February this year? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of State Services) 
: 
 Generally yes because the expectations provide a comprehensive and sensible framework for State chief executives to negotiate and set terms and conditions of employment. The expectations remind chief executives and unions of the difficult financial environment currently of the need to ensure that productivity is improved and of the need to ensure that changes to employment conditions are affordable as well as being fair to both employees and taxpayers. Having said that I say that there is always room for improvement. 
Grant Robertson 
: Why given that answer did he and Mrs Tolley summon three polytechnic chief executives and council chairs to Wellington to give them a dressing down about their pay negotiations—totally outside the process in the State Sector Act—when the State Services Commission had already been consulted? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The member’s question would not stand up to scrutiny. The fact is that Ministers invited the polytechs to explain how they were applying the Government’s expectations in their organisations including their plans for productivity and service delivery improvement. 
Grant Robertson 
: Can the Minister confirm that he told the polytechnic representatives that he was looking for a zero percent pay increase and that he was in fact calling for a pay freeze in the State sector? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I cannot confirm any such thing; it would be inappropriate for a Minister to issue a directive. But I can tell the member that like every group of people whom I meet it is very important for those representatives to be reminded of the quite difficult financial position that New Zealand finds itself in after 9 years of neglect by the previous Government. 
Jacqui Dean 
: Has the Government announced any other policies aimed at improving productivity and getting better value for money from the Public Service for taxpayers alongside the pay and employment expectations? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Yes. In March this year I announced that the Government had a policy to cap the number of employees in core Government administration and that the Government wanted to see people and funding move into areas that deliver the best service for money and improved services for New Zealanders. Under the previous Government the balance between back-office and front-office staff ballooned way out of proportion. The Public Service grew by an average of 5.5 percent per year and we saw little or no productivity improvements. I can advise the House that under this Government the Public Service has stayed within the cap on core Government administration. We have halted the growth in core Government administration. 
Grant Robertson 
: How can the Minister claim that calling the polytechnic chief executive and council chair of Otago Polytechnic to Wellington is appropriate when they are still in employment negotiations and he is breaching his responsibility as Minister of State Services by doing so? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I am interested in that member’s question because when he issued his press release he said the other polytechs were being pressured on their pay negotiations when in fact they had already been concluded. 
Grant Robertson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked a very direct question and the Minister simply did not address it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member was seeking an opinion if I recollect it correctly by asking how the Minister justified an action. I think it would be appropriate if the Minister were to actually address that action rather than mention other polytechnics. The question related to Otago Polytechnic and in his response the Minister mentioned a range of other polytechnics. I would ask the Minister to answer the question. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: The Government is perfectly entitled to ask State sector agencies how they are giving effect to Government policy. That is appropriate and nothing new. The previous Labour Government also had a group of Ministers overseeing pay and conditions in the State sector. In fact its expectations were far more prescriptive than this Government’s are. Whereas this new Government’s expectations are two pages in length the previous Government’s expectations were a very detailed 28 pages in length. 
Grant Robertson 
: I seek leave to table section 74C(2) of the State Sector Act which outlines that negotiations in polytechnics for pay agreements are the responsibility of chief executives. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I seek leave to table the new Government’s expectations for pay and employment conditions in the State sector—all two pages of them. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is none. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I seek leave to table the previous Government’s bargaining parameters dated September 2008 and the detail in the 28 pages of them. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.