Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 24 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2492. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: What advice if any did he receive from the Treasury on the Government policy to double-lane ten Northland bridges?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): None.Grant Robertson: When was the proposal to fund the 10 bridges first raised with him as finance Minister?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I could not give the member that detail. I would have to go back—it may not even be in a diary actually. But it is a proposal by a political party and you would not expect Treasury to be costing it.Grant Robertson: Why did he not seek advice from Treasury about the expenditure of $70 million?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Because I follow the rules and if I had not followed them that member would be asking me questions about why I had asked Treasury for costing information about it.Grant Robertson: How does he reconcile his repeated statements that he stands for fiscal responsibility when he is prepared to throw $70 million at the bridges seven of which have never even been mentioned by the New Zealand Transport Agency and he does not even bother to get any advice on them?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member is a wee bit ahead of the circumstances. A political party has made an undertaking in an election the Northland by-election. Whether it can be executed may well depend on the outcome of that election and how far and how deep Labour is willing to bury its candidate who I understand is popular and has a lot of people who could help her out but Labour insists—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not see any ministerial responsibility.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer where he said that the policy to build the 10 bridges may or may not be executed can he confirm to this House that there will be the 10 bridges completed under a National Government?Hon BILL ENGLISH: That is certainly National’s view but in order to achieve a majority in this House you have to work with other parties. So when we have a by-election we do not know exactly what the result will be. We may find ourselves working with different people who have a different view. But it is certainly the Government’s position that Northland needs the bridges. We have made that undertaking and we will follow through on it.Grant Robertson: Is the fact that he sought no advice on spending $70 million proof that he and his Government are prepared to abuse their power in what John Armstrong called a “Brazen shameless cynical and more than a little desperate” attempt to cling on to the Northland seat?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I find that people’s cynicism about the bridges in Northland is directly proportional to how far away they live from them. I invite that member or John Armstrong to go and stand on the bridge in Matakohe and just see what it is like on the one-lane bridge on a main road. Yes we believe the bridges should be built and as I said to the member before if I had asked Treasury for advice he would be accusing me of breaking the rules around election promises.