2. Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he stand by all the statements he has made in the last 2 weeks; if so, why?
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes, but there are one or two statements I could have been a little more precise about.
Does the Prime Minister stand by the statement he is reported as making in the New Zealand Herald this morning that he caused confusion by telling the Minister of Māori Affairs first that he could go as a private citizen to talk to Commodore Bainimarama, then that he could not; if so, what caused this indecisiveness?
Which of the five statements in the last 2 weeks that the Prime Minister has made about Fiji does he stand by: that he would consider sending troops to Fiji and then he would not, that the Minister of Māori Affairs could go as a private citizen to meet Commodore Bainimarama or he could not, or that Hone Harawira could go if he wanted to; or does the Prime Minister need to check with Bill English first to find out what the Government’s real policy is on any of those issues?
I stand by all the statements I have made in the last 2 weeks, but, like any politician, I could choose my phrases a little more accurately sometimes, just like yesterday when the Leader of the Opposition said about Mr Mallard: “He’s a guy that’s got a lot of punch as a parliamentarian.”
Is the Prime Minister satisfied that the Māori Party met the conditions of his no-surprises policy, and that in turn he reciprocated by respecting its mana-enhancing policy?
Does the Prime Minister stand by his statement on Sunrise regarding removing point-of-sale advertising on tobacco products: “Now, like all things in life, um, we’re not saying no. We’re quite prepared to have a look at that, quite prepared for it to evolve over time, but, at this stage, it’s one of those things where there’s no free lunch here.”, and can he explain to the House what on earth he meant by that?
I absolutely stand by that. I know that the Leader of the Opposition cannot make up his mind about the super-city, but I am quite clear in my mind about point-of-sale advertising. As the Government said, we have seen some research at this point but not enough to convince us that we should get rid of point-of-sale tobacco advertising, because it would be tremendously expensive to do so and quite hard to administer. But, like all good-thinking Governments, over time we will consider the issue.
When does the Prime Minister think that the Government will find the courage to take a stand on this issue, given that the Ministry of Health has estimated 5,000 people a year die from smoking—13 a day—and when he has been personally given evidence showing that kids exposed to such advertising are three times as likely to take up smoking?
The Government agrees with the Leader of the Opposition if the point he is making is that smoking damages the health of New Zealanders. I saw a report from the Minister of Health just a few days ago indicating that that is an issue of concern to him, and that he is looking at ways to try to ensure that fewer New Zealanders take up smoking.
Does the Prime Minister then stand by his statement in the Westport News last Friday, that the top personal tax rate in the United Kingdom is 70 percent; if so, can he explain why he made that up, when it is actually 50 percent?
It is a shame the Leader of the Opposition was not there to hear the speech, because it was a good speech; the point I made was that the top rate is going to 50 percent in the United Kingdom, plus VAT of 17.5 percent. It means that higher-income earners are given a tax rate of approximately 70 percent.