PM defends ministerial rorting

Prime Minister John Key is signalling a major shake-up of how taxpayers pay for ministerial housing. It follows revelations that Minister of Finance Bill English is being paid $900 a week to live in his own home.

3 News has been looking into which other ministers also own property in the capital but live somewhere else - and claim allowances worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Housing Minister Phil Heatley gets paid $243,000 a year. He owns an apartment in Wellington, but chooses to live in another apartment with his family - costing taxpayers almost $27,000 in six months, more than $53,000 over the year.

He also collects rent on the apartment.

Trade Minister Tim Groser owns his own apartment, but taxpayers have paid for him to live somewhere else - this will cost $32,000 this year.

Agriculture Minister David Carter owns his own home in the capital, and has claimed more than $10,000 over the past six months.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully also owns his own apartment, but has moved into something more spacious which will cost taxpayers $37,000 this year.

Mr Key however is furiously defending his ministers.

It has already been revealed Southland MP and Deputy Prime Minister Bill English, who owns a $1.2 million home in Karori, receives $900 a week from the taxpayer to live in it. His family relocated to Wellington years ago; his kids go to school in Wellington and his wife is a GP in the city.

No one is breaking the rules, but the rules are loose. They do allow for a certain rorting of the system

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