The last National-led Government racked up $5.3 million in legal bills with law firm Buddle Findlay, says State Services Minister Trevor Mallard.
National MP Bill English last month criticised the amount spent by the Government with the law firm, only to be told that most of the bills had been run
up when National was in office.
Mr Mallard told Parliament yesterday that National had incurred bills of about $5.3 million with Buddle Findlay over three years, mainly on advice relating to the privatisation of state assets.
He said that this year the Government had spent $900,000 on advice from the firm, $200,000 of which had been as a result of commitments made by the previous Government.
National MP Roger Sowry asked what protections were in place about conflicts of interest considering that the "decision to award [former Labour minister] David Caygill a contract worth over $100,000 for a few weeks' work was made in the cabinet room and not through a departmental tender process."
Mr Mallard said "clear assurances were sought in that area and no one outside the House would say David Caygill breached those."
When Mr English made his original comments last month, he said his main concern was Buddle Findlay's involvement in the hosting of a business forum in Auckland, which was attended by a large number of Government ministers.
He said the Government had hired a senior partner of the firm, who had received "substantial payments," to organise the forum.
- NZPA
