Field's office 'charged fee to overstayer'

Taito Philip Field

National has alleged Labour MP Taito Philip Field's electorate office sought $2000 in fees to protect an overstayer, but the MP's lawyer says there is no substance to the claim.

The claims were made under parliamentary privilege by National immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith yesterday - the second allegation made by him about Mr Field in Parliament in two weeks.

In September Prime Minister Helen Clark asked Dr Ingram, QC, to investigate if Mr Field had breached the Cabinet manual by asking a ministerial colleague to grant a work permit to a Thai overstayer who tiled his house in Samoa.

The inquiry was later extended to cover other allegations, but is well overdue, and Helen Clark confirmed yesterday she had yet to receive it.

Dr Smith asked her if it was "standard practice in her administration for a person such as an overstayer, who needs a document to provide that he or she would not be removed from New Zealand while a permit or visa application is being considered, to be charged a fee".

"If her administration has not been charging a fee for the provision of such documents ... would a person alleging that they had to pay such a fee cause her concern as to the possibility of a corrupt practice?"

Helen Clark responded: "The only fees properly payable in New Zealand for consideration of an immigration application are those charged by Immigration itself."

Dr Smith then asked what explanation she had "for a person alleging that in order to obtain such a document from her administration through the electorate office of Taito Phillip Field, $2000 in cash had to be paid to a family friend of Taito Phillip Field's"?

Helen Clark said she had "no knowledge of such an accusation".

Dr Smith should have referred any such claim to Dr Ingram, she said.

Suggesting the alleged victim had not raised the matter with Dr Ingram or the police, Dr Smith asked if the Government would provide immunity to encourage people to talk to Dr Ingram.

"Any person who wants to make such an allegation and lay such a complaint should immediately take it to the police ... Of course if they go to the police they have immunity. No corruption is tolerated by this Government," she replied.

Mr Field could not be reached yesterday, but his lawyer Satiu Simative Perese said he had "no comment to make on the allegation".

"There's nothing to comment on. It's so general. It's disappointing that people will make these allegations without providing any substance to them ...

"If it's a matter that will go to Ingram I have no doubt the Prime Minister will give consideration to that option. During the course of the inquiry any number of allegations were made that were so general and lacked specificity that Dr Ingram took the view that they need not be pursued," he added.