Focus Live: PM Jacinda Ardern on the SSC inquiry into Budget leaks
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to face questions about whether or not Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf will be sacked and if she thinks he misled the Finance Minister last week.
At her weekly post-cabinet press conference, Ardern is also likely to reiterate details from last week's Budget, including theGovernment's $1.9 billion package for mental health.
But much of the focus will be on Makhlouf.
Although his tenure as Treasury Secretary ends later this month, National has called for his resignation.
Last week the State Services Commission (SSC) launched an inquiry into how confidential Budget material was accessed at the Treasury, but it had yet to decide whether to investigate Makhlouf's behaviour.
Makhlouf had initially said the information was obtained by a hack – but a few days later it was revealed that the information gathered from a simple search of the Treasury's website.
In a letter sent to the State Services Commissioner on Friday, National called for the scope of the SSC's inquiry to be widened to include a closer look into Makhlouf's actions.
Ardern is expected to be asked if the scope of the inquiry will be widened and if she thinks Makhlouf should resign.
