11. Transport Minister—KiwiRail Information Release InvolvementRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterTransport Minister—KiwiRail Information Release Involvement11. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he still have confidence in all his Ministers; if so why?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes; because they are competent and hard-working especially my deputy.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does he agree with the Cabinet Manual that Ministers should not inappropriately influence officials or involve themselves in matters that are not their responsibility."; if so what would he do if a Minister did just that?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Yes I do agree with the Cabinet Manual.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the new standard of Government includes being more transparent and accountable does that include Ministers not intervening in organisational and administrative decisions that are not their responsibility?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is a close relationship between Ministers and their departments. I would expect that a chief executive runs their department and Ministers are providing vision and giving the policy direction. But as it is a very close relationship there are times when I am sure it gets close.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If a State-owned enterprise's legal team has advised a Minister that they would "struggle to justify non-release of information" does she think it is appropriate for a Minister to email a general manager opposing the organisation's decision to release information?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I would have to see the details of that to make any judgment.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I seek leave to table a summary of emails from the Minister of Transport's office challenging KiwiRail's decision to release information.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that series of emails. Is there any objection to it being tabled? [Interruption] Is there any objection? There is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: What on earth was his transport Minister trying to achieve when his office emailed the general manager of KiwiRail trying to influence him to step in and prevent the official correspondence unit from releasing information?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I would have to see details but it sounds to me like the Minister is doing his job and you have got some email from an official that might be doing something else that we will have to have a look at to see whether there is anything in it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the first answer to the first question was that there was respect for the Cabinet Manual and if he has said that Alfred Ngaro's comments were "naive" and Steven Joyce claims "it's not the way we operate" then what on earth does he have to say about Simon Bridges' office deliberately trying to influence officials behind closed doors covertly and secretly not to release information that is owed to the public of this country?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I really would have to see the details. The member has been around for a long time and has made a lot of allegations over a lot of years and most of them have not actually stacked up so I would be surprised if this one does.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am asking the Minister for a reply given the Cabinet Manual provisions that she says she understands—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No no. I have listened to the question. It was a very long question. I have listened to the answer and the question has been addressed. Question—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can you clarify what you actually meant when you said that.Mr SPEAKER: I said the question has been addressed. Question—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I raised the point of order on the basis of some clarity around the Cabinet Manual and the answer she gave was a veritable attack upon me but not the Cabinet Manual.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No no. Go back and look at the question. The question was hardly in order when I look at Standing Order 380. I was very generous to the member in letting it stand and I have said now on two occasions—and I do not intend to have to continue to repeat it—that the question has been addressed.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: If it is a fresh point of order I will hear it. If not—Rt Hon Winston Peters: It is a fresh point of order. New Zealand First does not expect any special conditions with regard to questions. If the question was not in order why did you not say so?Mr SPEAKER: Because I would be ruling out just about every supplementary question the member ever asked. Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order and it will be heard in silence.Rt Hon Winston Peters: What degree of order do you expect to maintain in the House when you of all people given your background make a statement like that? [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Over time the breadth of questions and the amount of additional wording that is put into questions have expanded. It is over to me as to whether I allow it to happen and I have been relatively generous not only to the member but to all members accepting that this is a debating chamber where politics will play its part. The essence of the member's point of order is whether his question was satisfactorily addressed. The member obviously does not think it was; I am not surprised by that but it is my decision that it was."