National make new Field allegations to police [+audio]

National has passed on to police new allegations against Labour MP Taito Phillip Field involving claims thousands of dollars were paid to help an overstayer.

National MP Lockwood Smith said today the information he had passed on included the name of an "informant" who alleged large sums of cash had been paid in return for "getting work done through Phillip Field's electorate office on an immigration matter involving an overstayer".

"We're talking in the thousands (of dollars) rather than in the tens or hundreds, absolutely," Dr Smith told National Radio.

The informant had never alleged the money was paid directly to Mr Field but to "someone very close to him," Dr Smith said.

The National MP said he had asked his informant whether the payment was made to an immigration consultant. "And he just laughed and said 'no, no, no, no, everyone knows you had to pay this money."

Dr Smith said he was unable to assess the veracity of the allegations but had passed the information on to the police.

He said he had advised his informant to go to the police's Asian Crime Unit with the claims but was unsure whether the man had done that.

Mr Field went on indefinite paid leave yesterday pending the police investigation.

Cabinet Minister Pete Hodgson, a Labour Party strategist, today would not give Mr Field a "glowing endorsement" or talk about the MP's future if cleared by the police investigation.

However, he said there was a process to be followed where Mr Field was allowed to stay in his job while the investigation was carried out.

Mr Hodgson told National Radio the police investigation would allow the allegations "swirling" around Mr Field to be investigated.

"I think the outcome of those investigations, whenever that outcome is, will have a bearing -- a significant bearing I suspect -- on Mr Field's future."

Asked if he would be happy to have Mr Field back if the police report cleared him, Mr Hodgson said he was not talking about Mr Field's future, but "the process of a person being allowed to remain in a job while an investigation is going on".

A person was innocent until proven guilty, he said.

- NZPA