2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in all of her Ministers? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes and whilst there are many that I could focus on with plaudits today I am going to single out Minister Kris Faafoi who on Sunday announced the Government has delivered on its promise—Hon Member: Teacher's pet. Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —to take the over 1 million New Zealanders who rent a property to make it fairer and more secure by limiting rent increases to once every 12 months banning the solicitation of rental bids by landlords improving tenant security by removing a landlord's right to use no-cause terminations to end a periodic tenancy and making rental companies safer and more livable by letting tenants add minor fittings. I add that to the banning of letting fees and the healthy homes standards. We are making a difference for those who rent in this country. [Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Before we go for the next one I will ask for the volume to be turned down a little bit especially on my right. I'm not sure that describing a fellow Minister as a teacher's pet is quite the appropriate thing to do. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she have confidence in her Deputy Prime Minister? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes. Hon Simon Bridges: Why? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Because he does a fantastic job on behalf of New Zealand. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she have confidence that he has been acting within the law at all times? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member of course is asking me questions in my capacity as the Prime Minister. What I would say as a general statement—[Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Order! If the members want an answer they will be quiet and not try and scream down the Prime Minister. Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What I—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Up until this point when a Minister has replied Yes" you've said that they've answered. SPEAKER: That could well be the case and it's generally been the tradition of this House to have a little bit more explanation for the reasons behind it. If members would prefer just to go to straight yes/no answers where that occurs and to have nothing else and to have the same strict interpretation on questions I'm happy to go with that. Is that what the member wants? Hon Gerry Brownlee: We seem to get the strict interpretation—SPEAKER: Does the member want that or not? Hon Gerry Brownlee: You're the Chair not me. SPEAKER: I'm just trying to work out whether I have a request from the shadow Leader of the House for an absolutely strict interpretation of the Standing Orders with regard to questions and answers. Hon Gerry Brownlee: I can't stand because you are. [Speaker sits] I'm simply pointing out that rather than telling us to be quiet when the Prime Minister starts to elaborate on a "Yes" perhaps it's reasonable for us to assume that there would be grounds for questioning or for some sort of reaction given that it's clearly a qualified "Yes". SPEAKER: I think the problem with all of this is that there was so much noise at the beginning of the answer that the shadow Leader of the House didn't hear it. A further—[Prime Minister stands] Well no I think the Prime Minister—well if the member wants to ask it again. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she have confidence the Deputy Prime Minister has been acting within the law at all times? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'm going to stick with the convention of this House and reply to questions that of course I have responsibility for. I did not have responsibility for instance for the National Party's compliance or non-compliance with the electoral law nor do I have responsibility for any other political party's compliance beyond my own. We have independent agencies for that and that's where that responsibility rightly lies. Hon Simon Bridges: So does she have confidence that he's been acting within the law at all times? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again it would be wrong to have me as the leader of a political party inquire into the practices of any other political party. The member may well remember that when it came to the National Party's issues I did not get into those issues. I left it for other agencies and I will do the same here. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is there a Serious Fraud Office inquiry—going for the last eight months—Hon Simon Bridges: No responsibility. Rt Hon Winston Peters: —into a political party and its leader to do with $100000? Hon Simon Bridges: Point of order. SPEAKER: Well first of all the member will apologise for interjecting. Hon Simon Bridges: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. She doesn't have responsibility for that. SPEAKER: Well I'm—Hon Simon Bridges: Don't want to go there. SPEAKER: I beg your pardon? I'm frankly getting sick of the interjections and the facial expressions from the Leader of the Opposition. He actually reminds me of Michael Cheika and it's just inappropriate for a Parliament. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she as Prime Minister of New Zealand have confidence that her Deputy Prime Minister has been acting within the law at all times? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I have already expressed confidence in the Deputy Prime Minister. The member has been asking questions more broadly around issues of electoral law and again as I say I am not the arbiter of that. We have independent agencies for that for very good reason. I would say it would be an indictment on our democracy to have any other political party ever inquire into other political parties. We didn't do that with the National Party. That would be wrong and we won't do it anywhere else. Hon Simon Bridges: Has she—as she told Mike Hosking yesterday morning she would—now sought "a bit more info" regarding allegations about the Deputy Prime Minister? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again at that time of course all I'd done is read newspaper reports but it still doesn't change the fact that this is best dealt with—as the leader of New Zealand First has already said—by the Electoral Commission with whom New Zealand First is actively working. Hon Simon Bridges: So did she make any further inquiries? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I've just responded in my last question. Hon Simon Bridges: Has she had any direct conversations with her Deputy Prime Minister this week about the appropriateness and legality of his actions? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I have conversations with the Deputy Prime Minister every other day. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order. To be factual has the Prime Minister heard any allegation that strictly concerns—SPEAKER: Is this a point of order or a question? Rt Hon Winston Peters: It's a question. SPEAKER: Well I'm sorry. I thought the member was calling for a point of order. If it's a supplementary question he can have that. Rt Hon Winston Peters: It's a supplementary question. To be factual has the Prime Minister heard of any allegation that concerns the Deputy Prime Minister? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No obviously in his role as Deputy Prime Minister. Rt Hon Winston Peters: There you are sunshine. I thought you were a lawyer. SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Prime Minister will stand withdraw and apologise. Rt Hon Winston Peters: I apologise for saying that. SPEAKER: That's right and no one's ever suggested that of me before. Hon Gerry Brownlee: Hang on. Is that how you do it—you put your own words on? SPEAKER: The proper wording—"I withdraw and apologise." Rt Hon Winston Peters: I withdraw and apologise. SPEAKER: Thank you. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she stand by her statement yesterday that "The law is the law and it has no reservation or codicil such as 'the spirit of'. It's either the law or it's not."? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member will be referring to questions in the House yesterday. I'm sure that the Deputy Prime Minister in speaking on my behalf stands by all of those statements. Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think this might be a moment for you to rule on whether or not someone in the House speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister speaks as the Prime Minister or not. We have put on new territory that's—SPEAKER: No. I don't think we're on new territory at all. I think we're on some pretty standard territory and I think the Prime Minister will now answer the question. Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The law is patently the law and there's no such thing as pretty legal either. Hon Simon Bridges: So does she no longer believe that there's "the spirit of the law" as she's previously said? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I stand by my view that there is a reason to look into foreign donations and foreign interference in this country. That is why we specifically asked the select committee to look into the issue. It would be wonderful if that select committee were able with the support of National Party members to report back on that issue. Hon Simon Bridges: Does she have confidence that her Deputy Prime Minister has acted within the spirit of the law at all times? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again as I have clearly said the issues at hand are being dealt with by the right agency—that is the Electoral Commission—in the same way that the issues facing the Opposition are being dealt with independently by the right agency. I again point out that I didn't interfere or inquire into that member's matters and I won't in this case either. That would not be appropriate."