Parliament costs

THE cost of running Parliament is (I understand) to be of the order of $200 to $300 a minute or $12,000 to $18,000 an hour.

The National party has spent of the order of $90,000 of parliamentary time, asking the same two questions every day for the last six or so ‘‘question times’’. So called debates concerning the Czech Karel Sroubec and the controversial appointment of the assistant police commissioner.

They have heard the same answer from the Government ministers and have been told a final decision will public be as soon as the formal protocols have been completed

Why they can’t wait until those final decisions are made before ‘‘holding the government to account’’ rather than wasting all that expensive Parliamentary time reflects how few issues they can find to criticise.

Considering each opposition member is paid around $4000 a week the 55 opposition members are paid of the order of $220,000 a week to hear the same answer half a dozen times. And Simon Bridges has the temerity to claim they can run the country efficiently. Really!