"The Prime Minister's admission she knew of the allegations against the Minister of Maori Affairs six months ago and did nothing is an appalling lapse of leadership and judgement," Acting Leader of the Opposition Wyatt Creech said today.

"One month into the life of this Government the Prime Minister was sitting on information of the gravest kind.

"Dover Samuels himself today said the proper place to take the information was the Police.

"What has changed? Why didn't Helen Clark counsel her Minister to go directly to the police with the allegations back then?

"Does that standard only apply for the Prime Minister once a third party has discovered the material that she is privy to?

"What other information is she sitting on that she will only reveal when outsiders become aware of it?

"At its heart, this is not an issue about politics, but about people. I would like to know what steps the Prime Minister has taken to find out not only Dover Samuels' story, but that of the other people allegedly involved," Mr Creech said.

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