By Patrick Gower
MPs are getting travel privileges extended for their children, which will see them qualify for taxpayer-funded holiday travel.
The change comes at a time when there's further scrutiny into the extent of MPs' perks and what the system allows them to get away with.
A South Island train trip was such an attraction, that National's Phil Heatley thought nothing of employing the services of not just one VIP driver so he could go on it, but two. One driver followed the train by car, while the Heatley family travelled aboard - the other had to pick him up from the airport to start his holiday.
Like the rest of the Heatley spending file, Prime Minister John Key just wants the trip to go away.
"I think we've put the issue behind us and we'll move forward, thank-you," he said today.
Mr Heatley's wife drove his taxpayer-funded SUV and caught the Wellington-Picton ferry. Mr Heatley himself took a flight to Blenheim and a VIP car then took him to Picton.
The Heatleys took the train to Kaikoura - a VIP driver followed in Mr Heatley's car. The Heatleys then drove their car back to Picton, but its VIP driver, stranded in Kaikoura, had to be collected by a colleague.
All this was at the taxpayers' expense.
"I was aware of it," says Mr Key. "It fits within the rules. Mr Heatley, who has been restored to Cabinet, is under no illusions like the rest of my ministers aren't, that we expect high standards from them. We expect them to spend taxpayers' money wisely."
The rules are set by Parliament's speaker, who made a rare appearance in front of the media today to try and cool the controversy around MPs' perks.
His explanation? MPs are different to ordinary people.
"I'm pretty used to how the rest of the world operates, and this, believe me, is very different," says Lockwood Smith.
Dr Smith revealed that he has been quietly planning to slightly expand MPs' perks. They currently get four trips for their children over five from home to Wellington and back, but he wants to make it so MPs can use those trips anywhere, essentially allowing them to take their children on holiday courtesy of the taxpayer.
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