8. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) Link to this
to the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services
Does he stand by the statement made by his chief press officer that “We were looking for quality, not quantity.” when it came to employing staff in the Beehive; if so, why?
Hon BILL ENGLISHHow does the Minister justify the fact that the number of Beehive staff earning over $100,000 has more than doubled since National took office, especially given that his Government is sacking other public servants and refusing to give those who remain a pay rise; or is this just another example of one rule for National and another rule for everybody else?
The current Government is employing 20 fewer staff in the Beehive than the previous Government was, and all of those staff are doing a great job.
How does the Minister justify the employment of private purchase advisers in ministerial offices who are handpicked by the Minister of Finance to effectively act as spies for him in Ministers’ offices, given Ministers’ earlier claims that the Government was reducing expenditure on the number of core Government administrative staff; or will he admit that the Government is simply using smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that it is feathering its own nest?
The use of purchase advisers has been very successful for two reasons. The first is that when the National Government came in and discovered that such a mess had been left behind by Labour we needed the assistance of people who could take an objective view. The other reason is that the previous Government had run a brutal command-and-control regime out of the ninth floor, and therefore no one in the Public Service could make a decision.
Can the Minister assure the House that the engagement of purchase advisers in ministerial offices at the direction of the Minister of Finance will comply with all Public Service requirements for the contracting of staff, and that these contractors will be covered by the Public Service Code of Conduct; if not, how does he reconcile that fact with the National Party’s manifesto promises of “Restoring Political Neutrality” and to “Ensure that public service departments are not used for party political gain.”?