9. Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Leader—National) Link to this
to the Minister of State Services
Has Dr Mark Prebble completed his investigation into the public service recruitment and employment of Madeleine Setchell; if not, when is the investigation expected to be completed and the report made public?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of State Services) Link to this
No; I am advised by the State Services Commissioner that the inquiry is not yet concluded and a completion date is yet to be determined.
Will the report be released by the Minister, or by Dr Mark Prebble who has an independent statutory responsibility for the investigation and who is a subject of the investigation, or by the independent investigator Dr Hunn?
Will the Ministry for the Environment release the Auditor-General’s report into how the ministry handled conflicts of interest; if so, when?
I suggest the member direct that to the Minister for the Environment. It is not an issue on which I have an answer for him.
Is the Minister aware that on 2 July the Ministry for the Environment management team agreed to set up a register of interests for staff including “any relationship which may exist between partners or family and political groups” and is that register still intact?
I am Minister of State Services; I am not responsible for the Minister for the Environment. I do believe that there was a suggestion that such a register should be set up. However I am not sure whether it is in place and the member might like to direct his questions to the correct Minister.
Is the Minister of State Services telling the House that she does not know whether the Ministry for the Environment has set up a register of interests that requires all of its staff to declare any relationships that may exist between partners or family members and political groups; if she does not know, is not that gross irresponsibility when this has been such a controversial issue?
No, I do not believe it is, because the Minister of State Services does not go around directing chief executives of other departments as to how they should manage their departments. I suspect that if the Minister did, the member would be the first to complain about it.
Does the Minister of State Services support a register of interests that, as agreed by the management of the Ministry for the Environment, requires its staff to declare any relationships that may exist between partners or family members and political groups?
If the Minister does not support such a register, what steps will she take to ensure that a Government department that has agreed to set one up takes it apart and does not ask its staff whether they have any relationships that exist between partners or family members and political groups; what is she going to do about such a register?
I will be taking no steps. It will be a decision that is made by the chief executive. I do not direct the chief executives of other departments. If the State Services Commissioner wishes to raise that, then he is perfectly entitled to. It is not my role to go around telling chief executives how to run their departments.
Is the Government so confused over this issue that despite the fact that the Minister of State Services is opposed to the register, the fact that the Prime Minister has said she is opposed to such a register, which requires public servants to declare any family members who may have a connection to any political group, and the fact that the New Zealand Public Service Association Inc has said it is opposed to it, there may well be one such register in the Ministry for the Environment and that she is not going to do anything about it?
That is correct. We still run in this country a democracy. We still have in this country the ability for chief executives of Government departments to run their own affairs as long as it is within the law and is proper. I do note, however, that that is the same party that objected to its members of Parliament giving their personal information about what issues and assets they hold, unlike the rest of this Parliament, which was quite happy to be open and transparent about the issues and our business. I think there is a little bit of a double standard going on here.
I seek leave to table the minutes of a Ministry for the Environment group leaders meeting, which agrees to a register of interests that includes the political affiliations—
Madam SPEAKER