House told not to be ‘kangaroo court’

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 2

House told not to be ‘kangaroo court’

PA Wellington It was important that Parliament did not become a “kangaroo court,” said the Leader of the House (Mr Thotason) yesterday in rela-tion-to questions in Parliament concerning the Fitzgerald loan application to the Marginal Lands Board. Mr G. W. R. Palmer (Lab., Christchurch Central) had asked the Minister in charge of the Rural Banking and Finance Corporation (Mr Maclntyre) whether Mr Maclntyre had discussed on any occasion the Fitzgerald application for Rural Bank finance with the Minister - of Lands (Mr V. S. Young). Mr Maclntyre declined 1 to answer the question because, he said, the commission of inquiry into the loan affair had already started. Mr Palmer then asked if Mr Maclntyre could point to anything in the commission’s terms of reference

allowing it to inquire into anything relating to the Rural Bank. When Mr Maclntyre remained in his seat, Mr Palmer asked the Speaker (Mr Harrison) whether his question had been disallowed or whether the Minister had simply declined to answer. Mr Harrison said there was no obligation on a Minister under all circumstances to answer a question. A Minister could reserve comment if he considered his answer would not be in the •public interest. Mr J. L. Hunt (Lab., New Lynn) asked Mr Harrison to reconsider his ruling, saying that it concerned an important and key constitutional issue. If a Minister declined to answer a question because if was not in the public interest, he should say so.

Mr Thomson said that Mr Maclntyre had that comment’ was not in the public interest in reply to the original question. Mr Harrison said he would consider the matter generally and give a ruling in due course. Mr C. R. Marshall (Lab., Wanganui) said that Mr MacIntyre could have answered the question outside the commissions terms of reference. Mr Thomson said it was customary for Parliament to refer such matters to an appropriate body and from that time on “we do not canvas the same issue in the House itself.” By that convention “Parliamentarians are careful to see Parliament does not become a kangaroo court, and that’s most important: that is in the public interest.”