Points of Order — Written Questions—Availability of Material Referred to in Answers

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask you to give a considered ruling with regard to written parliamentary questions, and answers to written parliamentary questions supplied from Ministers, and the growing practice of Ministers to simply refer to either the annual review process or the estimates process when given questions that relate to financial performance or spending decisions by Government departments. The increasing practice of Ministers has been to simply say that this information is supplied to select committee X, or whatever, and to please refer to those answers.

There are two things that I would like you look into with regard to that. The first is that that information is not necessarily available to all members, and any member has a right to question a Minister regarding those matters of financial performance. In some cases, the matter could still be before the select committee, so it is not available to all members. The second, of course, is that it may not have even been asked for in the first place. So although extensive questioning goes on during those processes, what we are finding is that some of the information asked for in written parliamentary questions has not even been asked for through the annual review or estimates processes.

So those are the issues that I would like you to look into and give a considered ruling on, because the written parliamentary questions process is a very important part of the Opposition’s ability to hold the Government, and Government departments and agencies, to account for the use of taxpayer funding.

I would point out that if information has been provided to a select committee during the annual review and the review is being conducted through the House, then that information is available to all members.

Secondly, I think that if you are going to have a look at the way in which Ministers are answering questions, I would hope that you look at the questions that are being asked. It is an important aspect of our democracy that members representing Opposition parties—or any member of Parliament—can ask written questions of Ministers, but they do have to be reasonable questions. I think when they are in the nature of a fishing exercise then they are probably going to get a broader sweep of answers, or an answer that gives a broader sweep of potential answers, in order to make sure that the greatest amount of information is captured by the intention of the answer—therefore, the referral to an annual review, which, of course, is an extensive document with many, many questions in it.

I thank both members for their contributions. I will certainly have a very close look at the matters raised by Chris Hipkins. I will certainly come back to Chris Hipkins. If I feel it requires information coming back to the House, then I will do so as well.

Question No. 9 to Minister, 8 September