Bill English MP
National Party Deputy Leader
10 July 2007
Health scandal: Cosy cook-up underway
National Party Deputy Leader Bill English says as predicted, a Labour appointee has been named as the person to lead the
probe into serious allegations of conflicts of interest at Hawke’s Bay Health.
“Syd Bradley, named today as the person who will carry out the inquiry, is a Labour-appointed District Health Board
chairman. Appointing someone who owes their job to the Labour administration is neither open nor transparent.”
Mr English is repeating his call for Labour to put the matter before the Auditor-General for a truly independent
analysis.
“If Labour really has nothing to hide and is really serious about getting to the bottom of the allegations, it would
upgrade the inquiry rather than conduct an in-house snow-job.
“From comments made early this week both Helen Clark and Pete Hodgson have already decided that there’s no issue and
people should ‘move on’.
“Mr Bradley has already been given his instructions in public - find nothing because Labour ministers who knew about
this need protection.
“The appointment of a Labour appointee to conduct this inquiry is the latest manifestation of the Prime Minister’s and
the Health Minister’s new-found 20/20 foresight.”
ENDS