National MP Todd Barclay returns to Parliament after secret recording saga

Todd Barclay has come out of hiding, returning to Parliament with a cheery smile as if the past month never happened.

The National Clutha-Southland MP hasn't been seen in Wellington since he was forced to resign over allegations he secretly recorded a staff member in his Gore electorate office hit the headlines again last month.

Barclay has avoided answering any questions from the media since it was revealed he told Prime Minister Bill English that he had recordings of staff criticising him.

Tuesday was no different, however he did smile and offered a happy "good morning" to a camera crew waiting for him at the building's front entrance.

It's not clear if Barclay's return to Wellington this week means he will stay the final four weeks of the term before Parliament rises ahead of the September election.

English, when asked on Monday, was unclear on whether Barclay would also take up his positions on select committees. He is deputy chairman of the Education and Science, and Primary Production select committees, both of which will meet this week.

Barclay's workload since his decision to retire has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.
After appearing to take some time off after the allegations resurfaced, and police relaunched their investigation, Barclay posed for a picture on his Facebook page on Tuesday with a caption indicating he was "working on constituent issues".

Since then the page has been flooded with pictures of Barclay posing with various projects and a flashback photo from his childhood.

- NZN