3. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH (National—Rodney) Link to this
to the Minister of Immigration
How many of the 262 special directions made by the Associate Minister between January 2003 and October 2005 in response to submissions by Taito Phillip Field have been checked to ensure that no errors of fact or misleading information led to inappropriate decisions by the Associate Minister?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Associate Minister of Immigration) Link to this
None, because in order to conduct an investigation specific allegations and information are required. A check of the files in itself would not yield any further information as it would not reveal what information had not been provided.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Did Taito Phillip Field inform the then Associate Minister of Immigration, Damien O’Connor, that the Samoan work permit for Mr Sunan Siriwan, for which Mrs Maxine Field paid 700 to 900 tala, was completed in Mr Field’s presence during a meeting at his house in Auckland on 26 or 27 February 2005, as alleged at the Ingram inquiry, before Mr Field’s final submissions to the Associate Minister on 17 May, and would that information have been relevant to the decision the Associate Minister made on 17 June to issue a special direction for a work visa for Mr Sunan Siriwan?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
I am advised that the Ingram report concludes that the Associate Minister did not have the relevant information at the time he made his decision on the Sunan Siriwan case.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Did Taito Phillip Field inform the Associate Minister of Immigration, Damien O’Connor, that his wife’s son, in order to clear a debt owed to Maxine Field, paid 5,052 tala to fly Thai overstayer and deportee Ms Phanngarm—Mr Sunan Siriwan’s partner—from Thailand to Samoa, and also paid for her work permit in Samoa; if not, would that information have been relevant to the Minister’s decision to issue a special direction to grant a work visa, and the cancellation of Ms Phanngarm’s removal order—decisions made by Mr O’Connor on 17 June 2005?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
I reply again that the Ingram report concludes that the Associate Minister did not have the relevant information at the time he made the decision on the Sunan Siriwan case. I refer the member to paragraphs 157 and 158 on page 49 of the said Ingram report.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Did Taito Phillip Field inform the Associate Minister of Immigration, Damien O’Connor, that the work permit for which his wife, Maxine Field, paid 700 to 900 tala named the Fields as Sunan Siriwan’s employer in Samoa, in contradiction of Mr Field’s evidence to the Ingram inquiry; if not, how would that information have influenced the Associate Minister’s decision to issue a special direction for a work visa to be granted to Mr Sunan Siriwan on 17 June 2005?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
In danger of being shrill, I repeat again that the Ingram report concludes that the Associate Minister was not in possession of that information before he considered the case.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Has the Minister seen any reports quoting Samoa’s Chief Executive Officer of Immigration, Mr Komiti, confirming that Maxine Field organised the work permit for Mr Sunan Siriwan, and that the designated employer on the permit was “the Fields”, in contradiction of Mr Field’s evidence at the Ingram inquiry, and how would that information have affected the Associate Minister’s decision to issue a special direction on 17 June for a work visa to be granted to Mr Sunan Siriwan?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
The member will be aware, as I am, that a lot of general information is out in the ether. If the member has specific allegations and he would like them to be investigated, I am happy to do so; otherwise, he should take the specific allegations and information to the police.
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith Link to this
Does the Minister still refuse to investigate any of the 261 other ministerial special directions over the period 2003 to 2005 inclusive in response to submissions by Taito Phillip Field, given the seriousness of the contradictions, omissions, and misrepresentations now emerging in respect of certain immigration submissions made by Taito Phillip Field?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
As the member knows, there is a difference between allegations made in public or in the media, and specific evidence and information. If the member has said information, or evidence, or specific allegations, he should bring them forward; I will investigate them. And he should refer them to the police.
Gerry BrownleeWhy is the Minister so comfortable with relying on the Ingram report for his answers today, when revelations made by the Sunday programme and the newspaper make it abundantly clear that that report and its investigation were inadequate?
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE Link to this
I rely on the Ingram report because it is an authoritative report written by a Queen’s Counsel. Secondly, as I have said to the member, there is a difference between allegations of a general nature raised in the media, and specific evidence and specific information. If he has said information or evidence, he should take it to the police or place it in front of me, and I will investigate it.