Minister insists that M.P. was not helped

Press, 15 March 1978, Page 6

Minister insists that M.P. was not helped

PA Wellington' The Minister of Trade and) Influstr, (Mr Adams-1 Schneider) said yesterday he : was quite satisfied that al Government backbencher. Mr| R. A. La Varis, had received j no special treatment on im-i port licences. “I completely refute alienations that Mr La Varis got special treatment,” he told a news conference. Mr La Varis, an importer, who is retiring as member of i Parliament for Taupo at the end of this session because of ill health, has been the! centre of recent controversy' on television and in some! newspaper repons over the consolidation of import licences he holds and sugees-i tiqtas that he got special treatment. Mr Adams-Schneider said he was quite satisfied the De-' panment of Trade and In-; dustry had followed broad

policy in dealing with Mr La Varis, with one possible (exception which was a r....t--•ler of judgment. i 1 In a statement commenting ilon radio and television reI ports that he would make [further inquiries into import I licences granted to Mr La .Varis’s firm, Mr AdamsSchneider said this stemmed from an allegation made by television journalists in an interview with him that they had further evidence concerning the firm’s import licences.: “They produced no newl information and therefore! there is no need for anv t further report to me from the! Secretary of Trade and In-1 dustry," he said. Mr Adams-Schneider saidj jhe had taken no part in anv; of the decisions on Mr La: [Varis’s licences. j Mr La Varis had ap-i 'proached him and he had re-| ferred him to the department; in the same wav he referred;

rial! members of Parliament s who approached him on im- - port licences. Mr Adams-Schneider said ? he had been assured bv the - Secretary of Trade and In- ; dustry (Mr H. Clark) that the t import licences had been proi perly issued. “I want to make it quie I clear I have full confidence ' in the integrity of my officers i as far as import licences a. a r concerned,” he said. Asked if he thought it was ■ ■right that a member of Par'jliament who was an importer ■ I should approach him to dis'icuss licences, Mr Adarns!l Schneider said members of • I Parliament approached him from time to time on these II matters. ’ A journalist said there ani peared to be a distinction bej tween members of Parliament ■japproaching him on behalf of ■■constituents and members of Parliament approaching him Las importers themselves. I Asked if any other mem-1 , bers besides Mr La Varis

were in business as importers, Mr Adams-Schneider said: “No comment at his time.”

“You gentlemen will be capable of finding that out.” When a journalist asked him if there had been any pressure put on him bv Mr La Varis, he replied: “Not at all. Not in any way.” Was he satisfied there was “no dirt under the carpet?" “I am quite clear on that.” Mr Adams-Schneider replied. He said he had expressed concern to Mr Clark that confidential information on import licensing had been leaked to the news media and had asked him to take action.