No Exoneration for Dunne in Speaker’s Ruling
Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First
Leader
11 July 2013
No Exoneration for Dunne in Speaker’s Ruling
The Speaker’s delay of 31 days to work out what the breach of privilege issues were in relation to questions asked by members during a hearing of evidence at the Finance and Expenditure Committee has got to be a new record says New Zealand First.
A breach of privilege complaint was laid with the Speaker on 10 June regarding questions from New Zealand First leader Rt Hon Winston Peters to the then-Minister for Revenue Peter Dunne.
“The complaint has been ruled out on the basis that my questions were out of order.
“They were not.
“First, I asked a number of questions of Hon Peter Dunne about secrecy issues in the IRD.
Then I asked him whether he was the leaker of the Kitteridge report.
“The chairman of the Committee found the questions in order. The Speaker, in contrast, appears to want to expunge the Committee record from history.
“Mr Dunne has resigned and there is no vindication for his behaviour in the Speaker’s ruling”, says Mr Peters.
ENDS