More question abuse
I blogged yesterday about how Chris Hipkins forgot to mention that he and his colleagues had submitted almost as many written PQs to John Key as Minister of Ministerial Services in December 2009, as Helen Clark had over three entire years. Clark as MS Minister averaged 1 question a week and they bombarded Key with 128 in two weeks.
But it gets worse than that. A search of the PQ database finds that Labour submitted 4,000 questions across all portfolios on the 16th of December.
Even worse Trevor Mallard whined that the online system “doesn’t appear to have the capacity to deal with a number of people who like me work to deadlines. System alternates between dead slow and dropping out.”
Of course the system doesn’t cope with 4,000 in one day. Hell it normally takes three months to have that many questions asked, and Labour filed them all in one day – and in the week before Xmas.
Now again it is important that the Opposition can gain information from the Government through PQs. But that doesn’t mean you have to be inconsiderate jerks about it, and file 4,000 questions in one day, which is almost done as a spiteful act to force people to work massive amounts of overtime just before Xmas. So much for the worker’s party! There is no reason at all their questions couldn’t have been submitted over a number of weeks. It is either incompetence or spite to file 4,000 in one day.
The right to ask written questions is an important one, and I would not support any limit on how many questions can be asked by an MP or Party, But there does need to be some incentive for MPs to not file 4,000 questions in a day, and to consider the cost of collating all this information.
The costs are quite considerable. Many Depts have entire teams of staffers who do nothing but answer these questions, so the more there are, the more staff you need. And as each answer is in the name of the Minister, it has to be checked for accuracy. Generally each answer will be compiled by a Departmental staffer, checked by their manager (at least), also checked by a staffer in the Ministers office, and finally seen and approved by the Minister.
I suggest Ministers do what Max Bradford used to do. He worked out the costs of staff time (say $70 an hour) in responding to questions and as part fo every answer, would include the estimated cost of answering the question.
This would allow the media, and others, to then add up over say a year the cost of all the questions from a particular MP or party. This doesn’t mean the MP will necessarily ask fewer questions, but it means they will have an incentive to consider how reasonable their questions are. And the public can consider whether the cost of all the questions for an MP, was good value in their opinion.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
The key word here is “reasonable,” you really do have to wonder what sort of game is being played here.And if they are playing silly buggers with parliamentary processes their maturity and fitness to govern is also in doubt.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
“This would allow the media, and others, to then add up over say a year the cost of all the questions from a particular MP or party…. And the public can consider whether the cost of all the questions for an MP, was good value in their opinion.”
Not wanting to be a knocker, ’cause I like the principle, but would anyone ever do this? Really?
I doubt the opposition has a “question generator” algorithm chugging away on some PC somewhere. Surely someone had to decide the question was worth asking, (from their POV) and then draft it up?
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Actually Trevor appears to have generated his questions using some sort of particularly unintelligent mail-merge, e.g.:
“What was the total cost of operations for 2008, and how many teachers are working at Paparore School school?”, “What is the expected costs of operations for 2010 at Rongotai College school?”. There are pages and pages of these. DOS attack?
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Back in May Darien Fenton asked 140 separate written parliamentary questions about the number of people on various benefits, at various times, at various service centres only to be told;
Hon Paula Bennett (Minister for Social Development and Employment) replied: I refer the Member to the Ministry of Social Development’s quarterly benefit factsheets, which are published on the Ministry’s website (www.msd.govt.nz). This is also my response to written parliamentary questions 6219 to 6285 and 6304 to 6377 (2009).
Some of the questions asked for information about non-quarterly totals which wouldn’t be published but 140 questions could nevertheless have been condensed into 3 or 4 quite easily.
The irony is Ms Fenton, an ex unionist is usually heard complaining about employers “throwing too much work”at their staff.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
If they don’t have a question generator then they’re doing it manually which is costing the tax payer how many man hours?
Do they not have constituents they should be working for?
This is more pathetic juvanile knobbling tactics that will not win anyone a single vote. Show me a single honest politician who wants to work for the country not make the country work for him and he’ll get my vote. (Or her, I’m not fussy and the competition isn’t strong.)
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
“What was the total cost of operations for 2008, and how many teachers are working at Pamapuria School school?
22911 (2009). Hon Trevor Mallard to the Minister of Education
What was the total cost of operations for 2008, and how many teachers are working at Paparangi School school?
22910 (2009). Hon Trevor Mallard to the Minister of Education
What was the total cost of operations for 2008, and how many teachers are working at Paparore School school?
22909 (2009). Hon Trevor Mallard to the Minister of Education
What was the total cost of operations for 2008, and how many teachers are working at Peria School school?”
Dear Mallard,
Please explain what a School school is ?
Looks like an auto-generation / mail merge to me.
epic fail !
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
ROFLMAO
“Even worse Trevor Mallard whined that the online system “doesn’t appear to have the capacity to deal with a number of people who like me work to deadlines. System alternates between dead slow and dropping out.””
What “deadlines” Trevor? Have you a Department to run in an alternative Universe somewhere? or is it that the BBQ’s are starting to get some heat in the charcoal and it is coming close to time to flip the steak.
Frankly, I don’t give a flying one for your “deadlines”, they are obviously self-imposed and the country will not be better off if you either meet them or not. Check your dictionary for the word “irrelevant”
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
WTF is this just leading onto a “john key is in hawaii and his government have left 400 unanswered questions” blah blah blah
mean spirited lil fuckers arent they
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
lol coventry – Labour’s Education spokesman is hoist by his own petard – that’s priceless!
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
It’s like a new version of A Christmas Carol – starring Trevor Mallard as Ebeneezer Scrooge, and also as the Ghost of Eternal Opposition
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
School being drevied from and ancient Greek word meaning free time and Mallards double use of it seems to indicate his idea of a deadline and others people may not be the same thing.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
4000 questions @ $70 per question, assuming it only takes an hour to answer each one, works out to $280,000 just for one days worth of silly questions, and then we wonder why it costs so much to run this Mickey Mouse outfit, not rocket science really is it.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
And now my wife has to work extra hours- and over Christmas- so that the questions about railway expenses can be answered.
As to the school school, yep- definitely a mail merge.
And as to the number of teachers working- none of them; they are on holiday.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I do want to stress that PQs are invaluable for getting information out of Govt. But as people have noted one can condense many questions into one, space them out during the year etc etc.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Someone needs to tell The Duck and his Ginga, that one of the major reasons for the system being unable to cope with the qusetions, seems to be the sheer volume that they pour into it.
Bet Chris”Silly Boy” Hipkins wishes he never started this one rolling, at least he now knows what an “Own Goal” is.
Perhaps it’s time to start drug testing politicians.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
It must be remembered that the poor labour opposition have nothing better to do with their time, as they will remain in opposition for many years to come, – so let them be seen as wasting tax payers money ineffectually.
They cannot see that such actions are only futile.
Poor sods.
You only have to read their blog site to see their stupid subjects.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Mindless stupidity and a waste of resources. It’s like firing a shotgun in the air hoping a pellet might land somewhere, and the biggest impact by far is the recoil. Picking the right fight and making it count is a much more effective method, with the sniper question.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
The OIA allows government organisations to say no to vexatious questioners….. this might be the time to test that part of the law by telling them to FX$#k off.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
PQs operate under Standing Orders, not the OIA.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
It seems to suit right winge-ers, from reading the responses to this thread, to suppress discussion and prevent information getting out. Governments must be called to account, eh, except ones you support? If the information was made available without having to be dragged out of Ministers, there might be no need to ask a ton of questions, although Darien Fenton does look silly asking questions about something already in the public domain. More information is better for democracy.
But I do have to ask whether the 4000 questions were actually all lodged on the same day, or whether because it is the end of the year they were all treated as though they were lodged on the same day?
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Given the fact that Mr Mallard has been known to read these columns and also to comment, perhaps he would care to take the time to ecplain to me AS HIS EMPLOYER!!! excatly why he he felt it necesary to very delibratel go out of his way to make life difficutl for both the Minister/s concerned and their staff.
As I pay the wages that this gentleman draws, I am of the opinion that I am quite ENTITLED (note that word very,very carefully) to know why one of those to whom I pay wages has taken such an action and to hear his ecplanation.
So come on Trevor: You’re an EMPLOYEE of mine, (and if you doubt that, a visit to a dictionary would probably be wise – look-up the definition of ‘employee’), so justify your actions (rememebering of course that in all things silence will always speak eloquently) – but please refrain from personal abuse or attacks – it lowers the tone and will do you no favours.
I await your response (or lack-of) with interest.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Oh Coventry, what have you done?
Some poor irk is going to get a right (left?) bollocking from Trev-teh-Muss now.
There is no worse crime than making a Politician look like a proper DICK and this poor wage slave has done exactly that.
Judging by the rate some Ministers in the previous Government churned through staff, someone’s Christmas might not be so Yo-Ho-Ho I suspect.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Come on Trev. Now is the the time to front a nd answer the questions.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
The way I see this is it is blatant nastyness.
Can’t Lockie tell the Nat’s to screw them up into a ball and shove them fair and square up Mallards already oversized bottom??
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Typical of our politicians. Kindergarten kids playing dress up.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
He worked out the costs of staff time (say $70 an hour)
That much!!!!!!?????
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Theories about a Mallard Mail Merge fail have been confirmed by Mallard himself:
Trevor Mallard says:
December 22, 2009 at 1:28 pm
And just for the record I did cock up a merge of my sample schools to the questions so it said school twice. Very naughty for Edn spokesperson. Just thought I would say sorry before MSM gets onto it.
http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2009/12/22/question-watch-2/#comments
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Leonidas – try it sometime – work out the cost of wages, add holiday pay, maternity leave, stat holidays, sick pay, tangi leave, allow for unproductive time, than add the employment overheads like kiwisaver, Superan, a desk and an office, aircon and a computer, throw in a network and printers and back office support bodies in IT, HR, the tea lady, milk and biscuits, the lights and cleaning the toilets, a share of the sick room and canteen rent, a bit for Christmas parties, some for the CE’s bonus and non recoverable travel expenses. If you stopped when you got to $70, I reckon you would only be half way down the list. (ooops, forgot the receptionist, foyer, telephones and flowers in the boardroom)
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I see.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Trev
Would you have owned up if not uncovered by DPF and his fellow bloggers. How about an apology to the Ministers who have to handle this crap?
Come on its Christmas and a little generousy would go astray.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I can’t let this opportunity pass to again point out that many of these questions appear to relate to information that should, in a properly run democracy, be available online to everybody in any event. If National could focus on creating that sort of transparency, then all they would have to do is refer to the website where the information is freely available to all.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
That Wellington Central 2008 result showed how loyal the public service are to Labour. The 4000 questions looks like a scheme to create work and income for their supporters. How can one reduce the public service when they are so busy answering asinine questions.
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:56 am
In ‘their’ lexicon 4,000 questions equates to an effective opposition doing what they are paid to do.
The reality is somewhat different.
Bit like the Emperor without any clothes.