The Parliamentary Services Commission will consider whether use of taxpayer money for MPs' legal expenses should be open for public scrutiny, Speaker Lockwood Smith says.Media yesterday reported that tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars went on MPs' lega
The Parliamentary Services Commission will consider whether use of taxpayer money for MPs' legal expenses should be open for public scrutiny, Speaker Lockwood Smith says.
Media yesterday reported that tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars went on MPs' legal cases in circumstances where it was considered such financial assistance was warranted.
Expense details did not have to be made public because the funding came from Parliamentary Services, meaning it wasn't subject to Official Information Act requests.
There have been several cases of MPs being sued, and Dr Smith and Prime Minister John Key said they were comfortable with MPs getting financial assistance in cases which related to their capacity as an MP.
Mr Key said he would also be open to the prospect of details of such legal costs being made public, and Dr Smith said he would be comfortable leaving such decisions in the hands of party leaders.
"As Speaker, I have no issue with party leaders disclosing payment of MPs' legal expenses related to the work of the MP and made from the leader's budget," he told NZPA in a statement.
Dr Smith said relevant questions, including whether such provisions should be mandated, would be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of Parliamentary Services.
National MP Nick Smith has for years been fighting a defamation case against him by timber preservative company Osmose. He said his legal costs totalled about $270,000, but would not confirm how much was taxpayer funded.
Fellow MP Gerry Brownlee requested funding for a civil assault case taken against him by an activist in 1999, but was declined.
Another National MP, David Carter, was sued by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters between 2004 and 2007 for defamation over comments Mr Carter made relating to allegations of corruption.
Mr Carter said Parliamentary Services paid $114,000 towards his legal fees, while another $44,000 in costs was covered from his own pocket and from damages payments made by Mr Peters after he was unsuccessful in pursuing his case.
