1. Ministers—ConfidenceRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSMinisters—Confidence1. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so why?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes because they are competent and capable.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can he have confidence in his Minister of Finance previously the Minister for the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment when its present Minister Simon Bridges had to ask questions of his staff on why almost $39 million was spent in the last financial year on contractors and consultants by his predecessor the Hon Steven Joyce?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Minister of Finance is an improvement on the last one—I can assure the member about that. I know that in the process of the Budget they will be going through departmental expenditure with a fine-tooth comb.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I seek leave to table a document obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA) dated 9 September 2016 detailing the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment's recruitment consultant spend with just some of the companies of the all-of-Government contract.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that information obtained under the OIA. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is not; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can he have faith in the Minister for Building and Construction who yesterday disputed the Auckland Council's records confirming that well over 13000 fewer dwellings have been completed than consents in the 5 years to October 2016?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I understand there is some dispute about that member's version of those numbers. The fact is that we have the longest strongest construction boom the country has seen in decades under way. Last year around 10000 houses were consented in Auckland and we would expect that that would continue. That construction boom is a sign of a growing economy where more Kiwis are staying home and we believe that is a good thing.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can he have confidence in the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs when in a written answer received from her today she questioned whether foreign-owned Latitude Financial Services was a large company despite it having assets of $1.4 billion revenues of nearly $300 million and was last the subject of an Overseas Investment Office application in 2015? If she does not understand what a large company is how did she get her job?Mr SPEAKER: There are I think three questions there. The Prime Minister can address any of the three.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes I do have confidence in the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. I am not aware of the particular circumstances the member is referring to.Rt Hon Winston Peters: To help the Prime Minister I seek leave to provide information just received and not publicly available: the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' reply to me on why this foreign-owned company has not filed financial statements with the Companies Office which is something it is obligated to do.Mr SPEAKER: Can I just check—I take it that it is an answer to a written question?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Yes.Mr SPEAKER: And can I just be assured that it is one that has just been received by the member and therefore has not yet been published?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Precisely Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Therefore I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular answer. Is there any objection? There is none; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If—from Official Information Act answers—Police are still working through deployment details where is the soundness in public policy behind the Minister of Police's boast about increased police staffing when she does not know where the police are going to go? How did she work out what numbers were needed?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Minister of Police is not boasting about the increase in police numbers. It is a decision of the Government to increase the police numbers: 11025 staff 880 of them uniformed. But the Minister is not the Commissioner of Police. The numbers have arisen out of consultation with the Police but in the end the commissioner will decide where they go.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can he have confidence in the Minister of Defence who has provided no update about the defence headquarters when he knows that this building will now have to be demolished?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am advised that actually the Government does not own the defence building. In fact I do not know why the member is picking on the Minister of Defence because that Minister knows more about earthquake building and compliance than anyone in this House and anyone except the most experienced engineers. So I would be more inclined to listen to his advice than to listen to the member's advice.