12. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) Link to this
to the Minister of Internal Affairs
Does he believe he has adequately fulfilled all of his responsibilities as Minister of Internal Affairs since accepting the role; if so, why?
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH (Minister of Internal Affairs) Link to this
Yes, I believe I have carried out my responsibilities as required.
Why has he refused to answer basic written parliamentary questions and Official Information Act requests regarding his activities as a Minister, including refusing to release any information about reports he has received from his department or whom he has met with? Is it because he is embarrassed to admit that he has not done anything, or is it that he has something to hide?
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH Link to this
That member has asked 1,483 questions of various members since December 2008. He has also asked similar fishing-expedition questions of other Ministers, and has received similar responses. There is a real double standard in place here; there were at least 142 written questions during the last Parliament to which a Minister responded that an answer would not be provided on the basis of the time and/or the resources that that would have required.
Hon Gerry Brownlee Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I ask you to consider whether the line of questioning from Mr Hipkins is appropriate. He is asking questions that relate to written questions, and I have to say that we have been somewhat surprised by the quality of the written questions coming from the Opposition. You know, Mr Speaker, that you—
Mr SPEAKERNo, no. The member cannot use the point of order process to criticise the Opposition. Commenting on the quality of questions is an implied criticism; there is another process for dealing with that. The member’s primary question related to the Minister’s responsibilities as Minister of Internal Affairs; answering questions is part of a Minister’s responsibilities. The nature of the question enabled the Minister, I believe, to say almost anything he liked, because the question went all over the place. I am sure the Minister is perfectly capable of responding to that kind of question.
Hon Gerry Brownlee Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am not wanting to question your ruling, but the fact is that a number of written questions have been submitted to you that ask whether certain matters are a reasonable use of a Minister’s time. A small example would be one from the member for Hutt South, who asked me whether I had visited Hutt South recently. You—
The member will resume his seat. The member is the Leader of the House, but when I am on my feet he will resume his seat. This is not a matter for the order of the House, and he knows that. I accept that there are issues around at the moment about the nature of written questions being asked, and that they need to be sorted out, but there is a process for dealing with that—
Hon Darren Hughes
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sorry, but I have been brought into this. I want to say that the Minister—
The member will take his seat right now! Senior members are setting a wonderful example to newer members of the House of how not to behave. Senior members should know the point of order process and not abuse it. That is something I take a dim view of, because it wastes the time of the House—
I am on my feet, and the member will not interject. Let us allow this matter to lie here, because I have made my position very clear.
John HayesI apologise to the member asking the question. There was such an exchange going on up the front of the House here that I could not hear the member. I invite him to repeat his question.
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH Link to this
My two key priorities in the gambling arena are, first of all, to maximise community funding from non-casino gambling machines in commercial venues, and, second, to resolve dubious grant-funding practices in the sector. I am keen to see gambling trusts address real community needs and provide long-term benefits, through their funding decisions. In the current economic downturn, when gaming-machine revenue is declining just as demand for community funding is rising, I believe that this is a critical issue.
Is the Minister aware that during the term of the last Parliament, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon Rick Barker, answered 892—
I fail to see the responsibility that this Minister has for what a Minister during the last Parliament did. I will not cut the member’s supplementary question, but I invite him to—
To the National members, or any members, who were interjecting, I say that that is not appropriate. I was going to deal with the member, who must resume his seat. I invite him to ask a question that is in order.
Why is the Minister refusing to answer the 140 written parliamentary questions that have been put to him, when Ministers in previous Parliaments have answered exactly the same questions without any trouble?
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH Link to this
I do not accept the statement of assumptions and fact in the question. I have, in fact, answered the questions; it is just that the member does not like the answers.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Has the Minister received numerous written questions from that member, Mr Hipkins, that ask the same question asked by other backbenchers and Ministers; and would the Minister, in his view, agree that that is wasting a huge amount of Ministers’ resources and time?
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH Link to this
It is right to say that the member is on an open fishing expedition. Ministers have to decide whether it is appropriate for significant departmental resources and time to be spent on preparing answers to such open questions.
Has the Minister instructed the Department of Internal Affairs to change its output plan, which currently estimates between 550 and 650 written parliamentary replies per year; if he has not, why is he refusing to answer questions on the basis that it would take too many resources to do so?
Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH Link to this
I have already answered that question. The member has been receiving answers; it is just that he does not like them.
I seek leave to table several documents. The first is the reply from the Minister to an Official Information Act request in which he refuses to provide information on all stakeholder and lobby groups he has met since becoming a Minister.
The second is a reply from the Minister to another Official Information Act request in which he refuses to provide information regarding all reports, briefings, and submissions he has received since becoming a Minister.
The third is a compilation of answers to written parliamentary questions to the Minister, in which he refuses to provide any information on who—
I apologise, I missed—[ Interruption] There must be no interjections. This is a point of order process. I missed the description of that document. I apologise.
I seek leave to table a summary of answers the Minister has provided to written parliamentary questions, in which he refuses to reveal any information about—
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think it is important that the leave is put accurately. It is a summary of those answers. The member did not—