Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 24 October 2007. Volume:643;Page:12648. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
7.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
 to the  
Minister of State Services 
: When will the State Services Commissioner release the report of the investigation into the Public Service recruitment and employment of Madeleine Setchell? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of State Services) 
: 
 I am advised by the State Services Commissioner that he intends to release the report as soon as it is completed. The investigation is progressing but is not yet concluded and a completion date is yet to be determined. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Has she any member of her staff any other Cabinet Minister or any ministerial staff seen any draft or final reports of Dr Prebble’s or Mr Hunn’s investigations; if so when? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I can speak only for myself and I have received a draft of those parts of the report to the State Services Commission that refer to me the Minister of State Services. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does Mr Hunn’s report include any comment or assessment of Dr Prebble’s actions; if so what actions will be taken as a result of analysis of Mr Hunn’s report? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I have no knowledge in the matters the member has just asked me. All I have seen are the comments that I made to Mr Hunn. They have been shown to me to check as to whether they are accurate in terms of my input into the inquiry. I have no knowledge of what is in the report. As I have already pointed out to the member I have seen only the comments that I have made. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Is the Minister telling the House that she has seen the drafts of this report that relate to her and her involvement but that none of those drafts in any way deal with any assessment of Dr Prebble’s behaviour and conduct in this particular matter? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: If the member had listened carefully he would have heard that I advised the House I have seen the comments that I made to Mr Hunn. That is the only thing I have seen. No one as far as I am aware has seen the full report because as I am told it is still a work in progress. What I have seen are my own comments as one would expect in any report to ensure that they are accurate in terms of the person who took them down as a record of the interview with me. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Oh! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I tell Mr Brownlee that that is absolutely correct. I think I probably know myself a little better than the member does. After all they were my comments. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Don’t be so sensitive. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Don’t tell lies. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I point out here that there is absolutely no risk of me telling lies on this matter but the Minister may want to reflect on her answers. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Madam Speaker I take offence at that. I have just told this House exactly what has happened in relation to that report. The member is insinuating something else—I am not sure what it is. Maybe he thinks he has seen a report and if that is the case I would ask how why and where? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: My response was to the Minister yelling across the House “Don’t tell lies.” I am asking questions that is all and I think she should withdraw and apologise for that remark. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I did not hear the Minister say “Don’t tell lies.” I must say. Did the Minister say that? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: If I did I apologise. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I call Gerry Brownlee. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I have no idea why this question causes so much tension on the other side of the House— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have called the member. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Oh there was so much noise I did not hear it. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Perhaps you could ask colleagues on all sides of the House to please keep their interventions down so members can hear when they are called. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The member has just claimed he did not hear you call him. If he did not hear you call him why did he start to speak? 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that Mr Hunn’s report will simply be a factual account of what happened with any conclusions etc. left to Dr Prebble who remains effectively the judge the jury the defence and the prosecution? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Mr Hunn’s role is to get to the facts. So obviously it will be factual I hope because his job is to get to the facts. It will be made public as will Dr Prebble’s report be made public. I would say that if the conclusions are not correct everybody will be able to see whether the right ones or the wrong ones have been made. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Why has the release of the report been delayed given that Dr Prebble stated on 3 August that the investigation was expected to take between 6 and 8 weeks and it has now been nearly 12 weeks; and is that because the Labour Government wants to release the report when it will be crowded out by other news such as the impending Cabinet reshuffle? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The trouble is that the member never listens to answers. The last time there was a question on this I was asked who would release the report and it is not the Labour Government. It actually happens to be the State Services Commissioner and as far as I know he does not know when why or how the reshuffle will take place. So he will not be basing the report’s release on that. I think the member has got it wrong once again.