3. Police Minister—Official Information Act RequestsRON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterPolice Minister—Official Information Act Requests3. RON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in his Minister of Police; if so why?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes because she is a competent Minister and is working with Police to implement a half-billion-dollar investment in the police of 1100 new staff including 880 uniformed staff right around the country.Ron Mark: Is he aware that New Zealand First lodged an Official Information Act (OIA) request with both his office and the Minister of Police on 3 February requesting all documents relating to his announcement to increase police numbers to 880 and that his office partially transferred that request to the Minister of Police on 16 February? Are you aware of that?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am not aware of all the administrative details but I understand some documents related—or appropriately related—to the decision we released yesterday.Ron Mark: Is he aware that (1) a month after receiving our original OIA request she then wrote to New Zealand First saying that she was extending her response to 7 April and (2) that on 5 April 2 months after receiving the initial OIA request she then said she could not reply until 10 May? Is that a capable Minister?Mr SPEAKER: There are two supplementary questions there. The right honourable Prime Minister.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Well I am sure it is the habit of New Zealand First that the possible deputy leader consults with the leader on all matters related to correspondence but in the National Government the Deputy Prime Minister does not consult me on all matters related to correspondence. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! Interjections must cease from both.Ron Mark: Is he aware that on 10 April at 6.26 p.m.—[Interruption] Well we know that the Minister for Myrtle Rust" does know what is going on in her department do we not?Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I just ask for some cooperation from my right-hand side so we can hear the question without interjection.Ron Mark: Thank you Mr Speaker. Is he aware that on 10 April at 6.26 p.m. the Minister's office informed us that they would release information that we requested on 3 February to the public; and is that the action of an open honest and transparent Minister?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Not only open and honest but also remarkably precise by the sound of it.Ron Mark: No she is late. [Interruption] Do not worry sweetheart there is more coming. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! On this occasion I do acknowledge he was responding to an interjection. I will allow the member now to continue with his supplementary question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You will have observed—and it is happening right now—that when my colleague got to his feet a barrage was coming from the front and back bench of the National Government which is inexcusable and is against the Standing Orders and they should be stopped.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have not observed it exactly the same way as the member describes. The member rose to his feet and started his supplementary question without any barrage of interjection at all but as the member then got into his question and some of the facts that he detailed in his question that is when I received without cooperation some further interjection from my right. I then told them they had to cease.Ron Mark: How can he possibly have confidence in a Minister of Police who manipulates obfuscates delays deceives and misleads Parliament or is this the new standard of Government that he is trying to lead?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Minister of Police has my full confidence. It sounds like she did a remarkably through job of dealing with what was no doubt a well-intentioned Official Information Act request and now all the details of the considerations are available to that member as they are to the public.Mr SPEAKER: Question No. 4 Dr Parmjeet Parmar.Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Thank you Mr Speaker.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: I apologise to the member. Ron Mark—point of order.Ron Mark: I have a number of tables that I wish to seek leave to document—Hon Members: Ha ha!Ron Mark: I have a number of documents. [Interruption] Well I can table a table. I have a number of documents that I wish to seek leave to table.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I need to hear the documents described.Ron Mark: OK the first one is an OIA request regarding a police resourcing announcement lodged by the Minister of Police to the Minister of Police Police the Prime Minister the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet dated 3 February.Mr SPEAKER: The second document?Ron Mark: The second one is a letter dated 16 February from the Prime Minister—a partial transfer to the Minister of Police.Mr SPEAKER: The next document?Ron Mark: An extension letter dated 1 March from the Minister of Police extending the deadline to 7 April.Mr SPEAKER: And the next document?Ron Mark: An extension letter dated 6 March regarding the transferred request from the Prime Minister extending the deadline to 7 April; a letter dated 4 April from the Minister of Police declining—Hon member: Ha ha!Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: The member is on a point of order. Would he hurry up and describe the document.Ron Mark: The point of order is—[Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is on a point of order.Ron Mark: I know and I just raised another point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No. We will deal with the first one first.Ron Mark: Well can you shut him up?Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am getting to the stage where my patience will not last much longer. I will not even bother putting the leave very shortly. Continue with the description of the documents. You are on No. 5—Ron Mark: Thank you. A letter dated 4 April from the Minister of Police declining the OIA that was transferred to the Prime Minister because it will soon to be publicly available but which the Minister failed—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We do not need that. Just describe the documents.Ron Mark: A letter dated 5 April from the Minister of Police extending the OIA response to 10 May; an email from the Police dated 10 April 3.59 p.m. advising the release of material that day; an email from the office of the Minister of Police dated 6.26 the same day advising that material be released to the public.Mr SPEAKER: I will not go back and relay all of those. There are eight documents that the member is seeking to table. Is there any objection to those eight documents being tabled? There is not. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Is it still a Standing Order and a Speaker's ruling and judgment that points of order will be heard in silence?Mr SPEAKER: Yes there is and the member knows that and on many occasions during points of order he has been guilty of interjecting as well.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I did not ask whether or not in the past that had happened. I wanted to know whether it was still a rule now and whether it was being applied because when my colleague—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat immediately. [Interruption] The member will resume his seat. If the member had bothered to listen I said right at the start when I got to me feet that yes there is a such a Standing Order and Speaker's ruling. It requires cooperation from everybody.Mr SPEAKER: Question No. 5 Jacinda Ardern.Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Dr Parmjeet Parmar: Excuse me Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No; sorry. We got interrupted. Question No. 4 Dr Parmjeet Parmar."