Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 14 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10596. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in the Minister for Land Information?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of thePrime Minister: Yes.Grant Robertson: What advice has the Minister for Land Information provided to him or Cabinet regarding an application to the Overseas Investment Office that is connected with Mossack Fonseca?Hon BILL ENGLISH: As far as I am aware no particular advice. The Overseas Investment Office has statutory responsibility to apply various tests including the good character test not just when the application is made but also after. I would expect that the Minister for Land Information ensures that it fulfils its obligations.Grant Robertson: Does the Prime Minister think that the Minister for Land Information should be updating him about an application to the Overseas Investment Office that is connected with Mossack Fonseca given that this is one of the largest tax-evasion scandals in history?Hon BILL ENGLISH: He is certainly aware of the transaction but the Government is not in a position where it can direct the Overseas Investment Office in its investigations. If it forms a view that there are questions of good character involved then I would expect that it would investigate those.Grant Robertson: In light of the answer that the Prime Minister is aware of the application from which country does it originate?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I do not know.Grant Robertson: Is he concerned that directional foreign investment from the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands both known as tax havens was more than $4 billion as at September 2015 nearly seven times more than China Germany and France combined?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am not particularly concerned. The investment has to pass through the Overseas Investment Act criteria of which there are around I think 23 tests. There have been court cases recently that have effectively lifted the thresholds. So wherever the investment came from it has still got to pass our tests.Grant Robertson: I seek leave of the House to table a table prepared by Land Information New Zealand with a summary of approved investments by country from 2011-15.Mr SPEAKER: Is it publicly available?Grant Robertson: It was sent to me directly by them so I cannot tell you.Mr SPEAKER: I am asking the member whether he has checked whether it is available on the internet.Grant Robertson: I have no idea.Mr SPEAKER: I am going to put the leave and the House will sort it out. Leave is sought to table that particular table from Land Information New Zealand. Is there any objection? There is objection.Grant Robertson: Does it cause him any concern that between 2011 and 2015 $304 million of foreign investment came from the Cayman Islands—more than Russia India Italy Spain and Sweden combined?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No not particularly. It is always a bit tricky trying to decide where investment actually comes from. People can be of one nationality with a head office located in another country. The critical thing is that every one of those investments had to pass the tests agreed by this Parliament and laid out in the Overseas Investment Act.