Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 January 2014. Volume:696;Page:15704. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) to theMinister of Internal Affairs: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon PETER DUNNE (Minister of Internal Affairs): Yes—in fact I am more than happy to stand by the only statement I have made since being appointed Minister of Internal Affairs 2 days ago which is that the New Zealand Fire Service has today deployed the first of two firefighting contingents to help fight bushfires in Victoria. This actually follows four similar deployments to Australia last year and underscores the close relationship and cooperation our two countries have when dealing with times ofnational adversity. I am sure that the House will want to join with me in wishing our firefighters well and that they will have a safe return home.Hon Trevor Mallard: Does he stand by the comment he made as he welcomed his new role that he has with his chief executive officer responsibility for amongst other things proper protection of the security of information?Hon PETER DUNNE: Yes.Hon Trevor Mallard: How does he reconcile that comment last week with his action in leaking a confidential report to a member of the parliamentary press gallery?Mr SPEAKER: I will allow the Minister to respond to that question.Hon PETER DUNNE: I stand by the comments that I made in the statement that the member referred to. I accept the responsibility that I have as Minister of Internal Affairs and I will honour that responsibility.Hon Trevor Mallard: Did he leak theKitteridge report or any draft thereof—Mr SPEAKER: There is no ministerial responsibility for that question.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I refer you to Standing Order 384(1). It does say it is at your discretion but it says: “… a supplementary question may be asked by any member to elucidate or clarify a matter raised in a question for oral answer or in an answer given to a question.” The point that I do want to make very clearly and very simply is that this Minister has responsibility for the security of information. It is a matter of whether this Minister is a suitable Minister for having that responsibility. His history on matters that he has referred to in the House and in statements is something that goes right to whether this House should have confidence in him in his new role.Mr SPEAKER: I still will not accept the supplementary question as asked where the member has directly asked a question that is of a matter that occurred well before this Minister was made Minister of Internal Affairs. If the member has a further supplementary question I am happy to listen to it.Hon Trevor Mallard: Why should this House have confidence in him now when he has refused to deny leaking theKitteridge report or a draft thereof or allowing aDominion Post reporter access to that report?Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Firstly Ministers are not required to express confidence in themselves in this House. That is a role for the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister’s confidence in Mr Dunne has been expressed by him by virtue of the appointment. But I would turn you to Standing Order 377 which is the content of questions and particularly (1)(b) and (c) of that particular Standing Order. Although there may be an opportunity to make a case around any Standing Order it has to be remembered that the Standing Orders are to provide order in the House and the questioning process is about extracting information from Ministers about the portfolio responsibilities they hold.Grant Robertson: Firstly Mr Mallard sought to ask why the House should have confidence in Mr Dunne. I think that is a fully legitimate thing. It is true that the confidence the Prime Minister holds is an important matter but Mr Mallard was asking why this Parliament should have confidence. The second point I would make is that in the first supplementary question that Mr Mallard asked he made clear that part of what Mr Dunne had said were his responsibilities was the security of information. It is a legitimate thing for members on this side of the House to ask whether Parliament should have confidence in a Minister to perform a specific duty that they have as a Minister and that is the oversight of the security of information of the Government. I think the question is in order. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not need further assistance. I am going to assist the House by moving the matter forward. If the question had been asked strictly inaccordance with the Standing Orders the question would have simply been: “Why should the House have confidence in the Minister?”. I do not think that is an unreasonable question. If the Minister stands and answers that we can move forward.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: This is a fresh point of order? I have ruled on this matter Mr Brownlee. If the member wants to raise a new point order I will hear it.Hon Gerry Brownlee: It is a new point of order.Mr SPEAKER: I have ruled that the question is in order. If the member is now disputing my ruling—Hon Gerry Brownlee: He is not standing and I have called a point of order.Mr SPEAKER: That is a different matter. Point of order the Hon Gerry Brownlee.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Is it now a ruling from you that the House expresses confidence in Ministers as opposed to the Prime Minister? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: I do not need assistance. On this occasion a member of this House has asked a question of a Minister: “Why should the House have confidence in a Minister?”. I have declared that that question is in order. That question can be answered by the Minister. I am sure he will have no difficulty in doing so.Hon PETER DUNNE: The House should have confidence in me as a Minister because I will carry out properly the responsibilities entrusted to me by the portfolio that I hold.Hon Trevor Mallard: In order to ensure that the House has confidence in him is he prepared to now deny that he leaked theKitteridge report or any draft thereof or allowed aDominion Postreporter to access that report?Hon PETER DUNNE: I have no responsibility for that report.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He was not asked about the report. He was asked about the leak and he cannot just dodge it that way by saying “I have no responsibility for that report.”Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister has addressed that question with relevance.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would ask you again to think about the prospect of the House being able to question that the confidence in a Minister is whole. The reality is that the Opposition parties in this House vote “no confidence” in the Government every opportunity that they get. It is a completely “ingenuine” question that is being asked by the Opposition.Grant Robertson: Disingenuous.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well we will call it that.Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon Gerry Brownlee: I should be able to finish I think.Mr SPEAKER: No I have heard quite enough. What the member is really doing is asking me to reflect on a decision that I have made in this House today and I will certainly do that and come back to him.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No I have ruled on that point of order. [Interruption] Order! I have ruled on that point of order. If the member wants to raise a further point of order—[Interruption] Order! If the member does want to raise a further point of order I will hear from the Hon David Parker.Hon David Parker: A further point of order. If the Speaker was going to further reflect on the Leader of the House’s additional point then I would think that the Speaker should allow the Opposition to respond to the new point that the Leader of the House has made and I would seek to do so.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. The difficulty I have is that the member Mr Brownlee has not actually raised any new points at all. He has justasked me to reflect on the matter. I am happy to reflect on the matter and I will come back to not only Mr Brownlee but also to the House if that is so required.Hon David Parker: Speaking to that point how could the Speaker be willing to reconsider the matter without being willing to consider the Opposition’s view on that? There are points to be made here arising out of the Leader of the House’s submission to you that I think are germane and I think I should have the opportunity to do that.Mr SPEAKER: If the member can succinctly put his point of view I am happy to hear it.Hon David Parker: Thank you Mr Speaker. The problem with the Leader of the House’s position set out in his submission to you is that it is within the right of the Opposition not to have confidence in the Government and Ministers as we do in respect of motions such as the motion on the Prime Minister’s statement. That same ruling applies to questions such as Mr Mallard’s question and therefore your original ruling is correct and Mr Brownlee is incorrect.Mr SPEAKER: I will hear from the Rt Hon Winston Peters.Rt Hon Winston Peters: In consideration of the request by Mr Brownlee in your further consideration as he has invited you to undergo do you want to know the date the time and the room where the leak took place?Mr SPEAKER: And the member should go back to his office and practise raising relevant points of order.