Benson-Pope not involved in sacking - PM

David Benson-Pope

Prime Minister Helen Clark says cabinet minister David Benson-Pope did not get involved in the sacking of civil servant Madeleine Setchell.

Miss Clark today told NewstalkZB a Beehive staffer had acted on his own initiative in making a call about Ms Setchell being appointed to an Environment Ministry job.

Ms Setchell was appointed communications manager in Mr Benson-Pope's ministry, but lost her job after three days following a call from the minister's office.

Ms Setchell's partner is National Party leader John Key's chief press secretary, Kevin Taylor.

Miss Clark said today that the minister's office had heard that Ms Setchell had been hired to a "strategic communications role" and the assistant had "off his own initiative and without direction to do this by Mr Benson-Pope" called the chief executive of the ministry to ask whether it was so that Ms Setchell had a relationship with Mr Taylor.

Miss Clark said the assistant had raised the issue because the strategic communications role involved a lot of interaction with the minister's office.

She said ministry chief executive Hugh Logan had not been aware of the relationship.

"The only other interaction I understand was that some time later the chief executive took Mr Benson-Pope aside and told him that he was discussing the issue with the State Services Commission," she said.

"He did not tell Mr Benson-Pope what he proposed to do, he did not tell him any detail about the issue. That really was the end of the story."

Miss Clark also said that the acting communications manager was told in full about the relationship "but there was not a discussion in full at the (interview) panel".

That might well be because Ms Setchell thought because she had declared it to the acting communications manager that everybody knew, Miss Clark said.

Miss Clark was also asked today about the future employment of the man said to be behind the call, senior advisor Steve Hurring.

She told Radio New Zealand that Mr Hurring would get "at least a little counselling".

She had spoken to Mr Benson-Pope and told him Mr Hurring needed to reflect on whether the call was wise.

"He is an extremely hard working and conscientious employee but sometimes that can lead to things being done which put the minister in a poor light."

The National Party has been putting pressure on Miss Clark over what it calls "the politically motivated sacking" of Ms Setchell.

Mr Key has said he cannot believe that the minister did not give riding instructions.

He has called on Miss Clark to say whether she was satisfied with the way Mr Benson-Pope had "tried to mislead New Zealanders" over the issue.

- NZPA