2. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so, why?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes; because they are all talented and are working hard for New Zealand.
How can he have confidence in the Minister for ACC when over 400 briefing papers are currently stacked up in his office requiring attention, and is this not a sign of a Minister out of his depth?
Yes, the Prime Minister does have confidence in the Minister for ACC. He is dealing with the legacy of Labour overseeing the accident compensation scheme with much more focus on politics than on the effectiveness of the scheme. The Minister for ACC now has to set about the difficult job of saving the scheme’s entitlements from that party’s mismanagement of the scheme.
How can he have confidence in the Minister for the Environment when senior executives from the Ministry for the Environment have gone to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and to his office to say that they cannot work with Dr Smith because he has not read any advice provided to him, and is this not an indication of a Minister out of control?
If there was any Minister who could be guaranteed to read every word of all advice, then it would be the Minister for the Environment. The Labour Party, of course, has nothing to do except pay attention to rumour and gossip.
Why, if the Prime Minister has confidence in the Minister for ACC, has he taken to writing answers to parliamentary question for the Minister, as was demonstrated in the answer provided to the Opposition on 19 March, which stated: “PM’s advocated answer”?
Hon Gerry BrownleeWell, that was my point, actually. Following the practice of the previous Labour Government, we take a whole-of-Government approach, although I would have to say that we have yet to develop the stern disciplinary methods used by the ninth floor previously.
Did the Prime Minister instruct the Hon Steven Joyce to give the Minister for ACC a bollocking in the parliamentary lobby recently for his poor performance in the House, or does the Minister for Communications and Information Technology see that as being part of his daily duties?
Those who are familiar with working with the Prime Minister know that he is quite capable of doing his own bollocking, in his own charming way.
Who was the Prime Minister referring to when he said there was no room for phone-throwers or temper tantrums at the top; and can he confirm his colleagues’ belief that in fact he was talking about Nick Smith?