Planning, Housing and Environment Minister Dr Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde, under whose portfolio the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) falls, has adamantly refused to be drawn into the controversy over the "missing" $10 million sparked by Prime Minister Patrick Manning's statement in last week Budget debate, which has since been challenged by the former housing minister Dr Keith Rowley.

"That is a matter between Dr Rowley and the Prime Minister. I am not getting involved in it," she said yesterday.

"I have had several texts from people telling me how many horrible things they (unidentified) are saying about me. But I am not getting involved in that. I don't know these gentlemen. They don't know me. So I think whatever they say about me is irrelevant."

Told that she was involved because the Prime Minister could not randomly have gone to the HDC asking about a $10 million discrepancy, Gaynor Dick-Forde said: "Yes, the Prime Minister said he got the file from me."

Manning, in quoting from the letter of intent for the Cleaver Heights housing project which outlined the costs, had stated in the Parliament: "The document that I received from the Minister of Planning, Housing and Environment..."

So did she mislead the Prime Minister as Rowley was alleging?

"Let him take me to court," she replied.

Told that her name was being called in this whole affair, she said: "That is not the first time. Remember the last time when I said I was a Christian (with a big C) they said all sorts of things. Eventually, people would get fed up of whatever they are saying and it would die. I am not getting involved at all."

Asked whether she intended to stand by the Prime Minister's statement (that was $10 million missing), since it was on the basis of information she provided (that he made his statement), she said, "I am sure I saw something in the papers indicating that the enquiry in the HDC (over the $10 million) was ongoing."

Rowley claimed that Gaynor Dick-Forde knew there was no missing $10 million because the public servants in HDC had told her this on Tuesday, yet she went to the Parliament and sat and listened as the Prime Minister made his allegations.

Was this assertion true?

"That is their view. That is what they are saying. But I have absolutely nothing to say on the matter. Absolutely nothing. If they want to go trying to malign me, then let them try. That is part of the costs of serving the public. When I was invited to come and serve, I counted the costs. And that is one of the costs - that people would get up and say things about you that are not true."

Stating that she did not always have to reply to everything said about her, Gaynor Dick-Forde added, "What did Jesus do? He went like a lamb to the slaughter. Sometimes you don't have to reply. Sometimes the truth comes out and it settles everything."

Conceding that Rowley was indeed calling her name out there, she said: "I am not going to reciprocate."

Yesterday, Rowley said he expected that "within one week" the Prime Minister would produce the Cabinet note and minute, as well as the document with his signature giving his approval for the Cleaver Heights joint venture housing project.

Manning is expected to be away from the country over the next eight days. (See Page 5)

Rowley reiterated that Gaynor Dick-Forde must know that the information which the Prime Minister gave to the Parliament had no basis in fact. The former housing minister said last Friday that the $10 million discrepancy arose out of a "mathematic error" in computing the cost of the houses ($92.6 million) and the cost of the public utility works and infrastructure ($40.8 million), which came up to $133.449, but which was wrongly computed as $143.449 million.