12. CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) to the Prime Minister: Has he, his office, or the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet contacted Telecom New Zealand Ltd to seek any information on its proposed maintenance contracting arrangement with Australian-based company Visionstream; if so, what was the substance of any such discussions?

Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) on behalf of the Prime Minister: No.

Clare Curran: Why has he failed to seek any assurance from Telecom that its attempt to remove employment conditions from its workforce will not interfere with the Government’s broadband commitments?

Hon TONY RYALL: The Prime Minister is advised that this is an issue of contracts between private companies, and it is not appropriate for the Government to intervene. Telecom is a private company, having been privatised by a Labour Government that included Phil Goff and Annette King.

Clare Curran: Does he stand by his election commitments to deliver ultra-fast broadband; if so, why has his Government taken no serious action to ensure that this dispute does not affect Telecom’s reputation as an efficient, customer-focused communications provider and a reputable corporate citizen?

Hon TONY RYALL: I know that the Prime Minister appreciates that changes in contract arrangements can be stressful and unsettling for the engineers involved, but this is a matter between a private company and its employees.

Clare Curran: Supplementary question—

Mr SPEAKER: It is my advice that the Labour Party has used its allocation of supplementary questions today.