MP held back detail from inquiry, says Smith

Labour MP Ross Robertson has come under fire in Parliament for failing to tell the Ingram inquiry what he knew about a Thai man he saw at Taito Phillip Field's house in Samoa.

In a fresh attack by National Party immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith, Mr Robertson was yesterday accused of having information that was relevant to the inquiry of Noel Ingram, QC - but failing to come forward to provide it.

National is battling to keep the Field affair in the headlines as the Labour MP for Mangere remains on leave while police investigate his dealings.

Dr Smith has continued over recent weeks to ask questions in the House about the Ingram inquiry, and yesterday indicated that he has no intention of letting the matter lie.

Dr Smith said he remained confident of having a fresh angle to his questioning when the House resumed on October 10 after a recess of three weeks.

National's attack yesterday focused on Mr Robertson, and comments he made to the Herald in August in which he said he got the impression that a Thai man he met in Samoa was there working on Mr Field's house.

Central to the Ingram inquiry was whether Mr Field intended to employ the Thai man to work on his house in Samoa while he made representations to allow the man to gain entry into NZ.

Dr Smith asked Immigration Minister David Cunliffe what steps he had taken to ascertain why Mr Robertson did not volunteer his information to the Ingram inquiry.

Mr Cunliffe said it had previously been noted that "a number of MPs briefly visited Mr Field's home in Samoa and saw several Thai immigrants, but did not have extensive conversations with them and were not briefed on their immigration status".

In response to further questions, Mr Cunliffe pointed out that he was not responsible for the conduct of the Ingram inquiry or of Mr Robertson.

Earlier this week Dr Smith also highlighted the role in the Ingram inquiry of the private secretary to former associate immigration minister Damien O'Connor.

Continuing his systematic dissection of the Ingram report, Dr Smith said that the woman - Nicola Scotland - had made four conflicting statements to the inquiry about whether Mr O'Connor knew of Mr Field's involvement with Thai nationals in Samoa before making his decision on their cases.

Mr Cunliffe noted that the Ingram inquiry had "attached no blame to Miss Scotland", and added that the House was no place to "attack officials who are unable to defend themselves".

Dr Smith yesterday said he was "deeply concerned" by some of Mr Cunliffe's answers to his questions in recent weeks and he would continue to ask more when Parliament resumed.