9. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH (National—Rodney) Link to this
to the Minister of Immigration
Are immigration representations made by members of Parliament given priority over other immigration applications?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Immigration) Link to this
Immigration representations are not applications.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Why, when answering a question in this House on 16 November in respect of some of the 438 immigration appeals made in the past 3 years by the honourable Taito Phillip Field, did the Minister tell the House that I had made “In the realm of 80 in the last 3 years.”?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
The member must have ESP, because that was precisely the point I was attempting to clarify for the House in my point of order. In fact, the member made only 21 representations during that 3-year period, and I take this opportunity to apologise to the member for overstating his hard work.
Jill PettisHow many representations were made to the Minister of Immigration in the last financial year, and how many standard immigration applications were made in the same period?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
In 2004-05 around 4,000 ministerial representations were received, with approximately one-fifth originating from members of Parliament. In the same year over 400,000 immigration applications were made to the Department of Labour.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Is it correct that his own department had established on 19 October—not long before that Minister answered the question in this House—that I had, in fact, made 21 immigration appeals in the last 3 years, and why did he choose to give this House an erroneous figure almost four times higher than the correct figure?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
Quite simply, because I made an error. I have previously apologised to the member for overstating his efforts.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Is it correct that on 16 November he also told the House that I had “put a higher number of cases before the Minister than most members of this House have done.”, and did he simply make up the figure of “80 in the last 3 years” in an attempt to support a false statement; if not, where did the figure of 80 come from?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
As I have already clarified, that figure was an error, and the member is now quite correct. He did not, in fact, make more representations than a majority of members.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Does this set the standard we can expect from this Minister of Immigration—that if he wants to score a political point, he is prepared to just pluck out of the air any figures that might happen to suit his political purpose?