Labour goes on attack in Field row

Taito Phillip Field

Labour is fighting back over the Taito Phillip Field affair by targeting National MPs supporting foreign visa applicants.

In a departure from the strategy under which Mr Field apologised on Tuesday, Labour yesterday turned its guns on National and accused Lockwood Smith of giving false information in support of a visa applicant.

Immigration Minister David Cunliffe also asked in Parliament whether National MP Wayne Mapp had accepted cheap dinners from the owners of a Thai restaurant for whom he had sought work permits.

The attacks came after three weeks of Opposition questioning about issues raised in the Ingram inquiry into Mr Field's dealings with people seeking immigration permits.

National has been frustrated in its attempts to secure a further inquiry, and is now likely to face an uphill battle to keep the issue in the spotlight during a two-week parliamentary recess.

Mr Cunliffe last night hinted that if National's questioning continued when Parliament resumed on August 22, he may bring up more immigration cases.

National said Labour's move was desperate, and questioned why somebody was trawling through cases involving its MPs when immigration officials were unwilling to look into the 262 successful appeals made by Mr Field for visas.

Dr Smith said he couldn't recall the case Mr Cunliffe raised in Parliament.

Mr Cunliffe said Dr Smith last year supported a bid for residence by a foreigner who married a New Zealander soon after arriving.

His representation to the then-Associate Minister of Immigration said the two were living as man and wife, when they had told the Immigration Service their marriage had broken down, Mr Cunliffe said.

A visa was not granted.

Dr Smith said he would go back through his files to identify the case, but denied he would have knowingly presented false information.

"What I imagine would have happened ... would have been that once I became aware of false information I would have dropped the case too," he said.

Dr Smith said there "are lots of differences" between that case and what Mr Field did - in particular the Labour MP "knew the information [he provided] was false".

Mr Cunliffe also claimed Dr Mapp secured work permits for three Thai overstayers who ran a restaurant in his North Shore electorate.

"I trust that Dr Mapp or his agent have never accepted even as much as a morsel of food or drink in that establishment without paying the full price," Mr Cunliffe said.

Dr Mapp said later he clearly remembered the case, and that the people involved had strong community support from local business people.

He admitted to accepting a beer on one or two occasions from the Thais after the visas were granted.

But he said he had turned down offers of food and made it clear that such things wouldn't be appropriate.

"It's a hugely different situation to getting your house painted," Dr Mapp, referring to Mr Field's dealings.

"It's not even remotely comparable, and to try and suggest that it is, is really absurd."

National also used questions to MPs, rather than ministers yesterday to keep the Field saga in the spotlight.

The party again refused to allow the Greens to move a motion requesting an apology from Mr Field, and Labour again prevented National from sending the Ingram report to the privileges committee.