English trust details sought

Labour is calling on Finance Minister Bill English to release details of his family trust as questions build over the way he qualified for a $700-a-week accommodation allowance.

Mr English qualified after signing a declaration that he had no financial interest in the trust which owned his family home.

The arrangement came under fire in Parliament yesterday, with Gerry Brownlee taking questions in place of Prime Minister John Key.

Later, Labour MP Pete Hodgson said Mr English should release details of his family trust, with family names deleted as appropriate, so the public could judge whether he controlled it.

Under rules confirmed by Mr Key's office, it was permissible to lease a home from a family trust for use as a ministerial residence only if the minister had no pecuniary interest.

"But in the House Gerry Brownlee confirmed that whether a trust passed the test or not depended on the detail of its structure. That detail is unknown. Only Mr English can correct that situation, by releasing the trust deed now," said Mr Hodgson.

Officials took concerns to Mr Key's office about whether Mr English qualified for a rent allowance.

They were told it would be okay as long as Mr English certified that he had no financial interest in the Endeavour Trust, which owns the $1.2 million Karori property. The title was transferred to Mr English's wife, Mary, in March.