Te Tari Taiwhenua
Internal Affairs
2 April 2024
Ministerial Services
45 Pipitea St, Thorndon
PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Website: www.dia.govt.nz
KW
fyi-reguest-25912-
[email address]
Dear KW
Request for information {OIA 2324-0701)
Thank you for your request for information transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs
(the Department) on 7 March 2024 made under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
You requested the following information:
I am writing to query the total amount, if any, that Prime Minister Luxon has claimed in
line with clause 17 of 'Members of Parliament {Accommodation Services for Members
and Travel Services for Family Members) Determination 2023' since 27 /11/23.
Response to your request
The
Members of Parliament {Accommodation Services for Members and Travel Services for
Family Members) Determination 2023 is set by the Remuneration Authority and is
administered by the Department. The Department's Ministerial Services group is responsible
for administering expenses, entitlements and allowances for Ministers.
The Department releases
Minister's Travel and Accommodation expenses1 on a quarterly
basis. In the quarterly releases you can find which Ministers are receiving funding towards
accommodation arrangements and how much they have received for the quarter. Please note:
• The continuous Wellington accommodation allowance is currently set at $52,000 per
year for Ministers and $36,400 per year for Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and
ordinary Members of Parliament. Payments are pro-rated based on an assessment of
a Members eligibility.
1 https://www.dia.govt.nz/Ministers-expense-releases
• Ministerial Services pays Members of the Executive their accommodation allowance in
fortnightly instalments, alongside payment of salary and an expense allowance. The
accommodation payments, as a Member of the Executive, cease when a Members
ministerial warrant ceases.
• Members of the Executive who share their accommodation with one or more than one
other persons (excluding their spouse/partner and children under 18 years old) receive
a reduced payment as below:
Number of I
Percentage of
I
Prime Minister, Deputy I
Parliamentary
tenants
accommodation payment
Prime Minister, and
Under-Secretaries
payable
Ministers
Sole tenant
100%
$52,000
$36,000
Two tenants 70%
$36,400
$25,480
Three
60%
$31,200
$21,840
tenants
Four tenants 55%
$28,600
$20,020
It has been publicly reported that the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon initially claimed an
accommodation allowance and also repaid the amount received.
It's important to note that in the 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2024 expense release there will
be no costs associated with Rt Hon Christopher Luxon's Wellington accommodation expenses.
Although a Wellington accommodation allowance payment was made to Rt Hon Christopher
Luxon he completed the repayment process in full within the same quarter.
Therefore, your request is refused under section 18(d) of the Act, that the information
requested is or will soon be publicly available.
We may publish this OIA response on www.dia.govt.nz (with your personal details having been
removed). Publishing responses to OIA requests increases the availability of information to
the public and is consistent with the purpose of the Act to enable effective participation in the
making and administration of laws and policies, and to promote the accountability of Ministers
and officials.
If you have any concerns with the information in this response, you have a right to request an
investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. Information on
how to do this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Briget Ridden
General Manager - Ministerial Services
Te Haumi - Enterprise Partnerships
Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs
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