KEY POINTS:
State Services Minister Annette King says she has confidence in top public servant Mark Prebble and believes he forgot to pass on key information in the Setchell case.
Cabinet minister David Benson-Pope lost his portfolios after misleading the public over the same information - that he had told Environment Ministry chief executive Hugh Logan he could not be as free and frank if Madeleine Setchell was its communications manager.
Ms Setchell is National Party chief press secretary Kevin Taylor's partner and the party alleges the minister put pressure on the public service to have her removed.
Dr Prebble is now conducting an investigation into the issue and has called on former State Services Commissioner Don Hunn to prepare a report. Dr Prebble will make decisions on any action to be taken.
Mr Brownlee questioned how Dr Prebble could be involved in the investigation at all.
"Is [Ms King] concerned that Dr Prebble has now committed the same offence as Mr Benson Pope - in being either forgetful or economical with the truth? While Mr Benson-Pope has lost his job, Dr Prebble appears to keep his. Or does she accept a lower standard from the nation's top public servant, which allows her to excuse his evasive behaviour?"
Ms King said she agreed with Prime Minister Helen Clark that it was not a "hanging offence" to make a mistake. "I do not believe Dr Prebble set out to mislead anybody. I think he genuinely forgot," she said.
Mr Brownlee struggled to believe Dr Prebble forgot the "most salient fact" in the whole case.
Ms King said that at that point what Mr Benson-Pope had said about working with Ms Setchell was not the focus.
Mr Brownlee said it would be impossible for the public to have confidence in Dr Prebble's investigation when he remained key inquirer, "making him the judge, the jury, the prosecution, the defence, and the key witness in the particular case".
Helen Clark was also questioned about the case and she said Dr Prebble had a statutory role to oversee employment matters, which was why he remained involved.
"But what he has made clear is the full report of Don Hunn will be issued, and it will be clear on what factual basis Dr Prebble then makes decisions."
National leader John Key pointed out that Helen Clark had criticised Mr Logan for failing to pass on the "free and frank" conversation when Acting State Service Commissioner Iain Rennie sought information to brief Ms King although he had not given Dr Prebble the same treatment.
"It's a mystery to me why Mr Logan did not repeat what he told Dr Prebble to Mr Rennie," she said.
Helen Clark yesterday also said she still had confidence in Dr Prebble, but revealed there had been pressure for an independent person to undertake the inquiry.
Ms Setchell disclosed her relationship with Mr Taylor when she applied for the communications position, but Mr Logan did not know about it and was alerted by a phone call from the office of Minister for the Environment. Mr Benson-Pope resigned as Minister for the Environment because he initially denied he had expressed an opinion about Ms Setchell's employment.
Under scrutiny
* Former state services commissioner Don Hunn has been appointed an independent inquirer into the Madeleine Setchell affair.
* State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble decided last week not to stand aside from the inquiry, although both he and the State Services Commission had a role in the matter, because of his statutory responsibilities for employment in the public service.
* But on Monday it was announced Mr Hunn would "assist with the inquiry" in an independent role and present a separate report.
- NZPA
