Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 27 August 2013. Volume:693;Page:12941. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) to theMinister of Housing: What action is he taking to ensure that all available Housing New Zealand houses are tenanted?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing): The bulk of homes not tenanted are because of earthquake damage earthquake risk and Housing New Zealand’s major redevelopment programme. The first action I am taking is to get real pace into the Christchurch earthquake repair programme. The $320 million insurance settlement is enabling us to get on with the repair of the 5000 homes that were damaged there. The second action is on earthquake buildings in places like Wellington. I am actually very pleased that we vacated buildings like the Gordon Wilson Flats because after the most recent quakes there was significant damage that could have posed a risk to those tenants. We have got work well-advanced on strengthening a number of the State houses in Wellington and a programme of work to determine which can be economically repaired and which should be replaced. The third action announced in the Budget was a $2.9 billion investment the biggest in more than 20 years on improving our overall State housing portfolio. This massive programme of work will result in additional vacancies particularly in areas where we are demolishing groups of oldhouses and rebuilding far more houses of better quality more appropriately sized on that same land.Hon Trevor Mallard: What action does Housing New Zealand take to remove squatters from its houses and recover rent owed by former tenants?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I am not familiar with any specific examples of squatting in any of the State houses. But the general intent would be where people have been given a reasonable time to get out of homes—but if the member has got a specific example I would be happy to have it drawn to my attention.Hon Trevor Mallard: What action if any has he taken to ensure that the approximately $10800 owed by one former State house tenant is paid?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Unless the member gave me an example of the particular tenancy then I am not aware of which example the member is giving. State houses have about 69000 tenants so it is not possible for me to give an instant answer on any one of those cases.Hon Trevor Mallard: Has Housing New Zealand given any advice to Ministerial Services as to how to recover approximately $10800 which was not paid when he squatted for over 6 weeks in a $2 million house owned by Ministerial Services?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: When I resigned as a Minister last year myself and my family stayed in the ministerial house until the end of that term for my kids who were attending school in Wellington. Ministerial Services gave me consent to leave my personal belongings there until I established a new flat in Hill Street. I would note that it has long been the practice where Ministers resign—and as occurs when there is a change of Government such as after the 2008 election—that families are given a reasonable amount of time to move. The time when my family moved out was less than 2 weeks after I resigned.Hon Trevor Mallard: Mr Speaker—Mr SPEAKER: The member has a right to ask questions but I caution him to think seriously about treading into an issue like this.Hon Trevor Mallard: I seek leave to table a document that shows that no rent was paid for that house.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon John Key: Is it true that when National became the Government in 2008 I said to the outgoing then Prime Minister that she should feel free to stay at Premier House as long as she wanted without rent to allow a smooth transition and to allow her to pack up with her family?Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just before that question is answered I do not think there is actually any ministerial responsibility for the Minister. I think on this occasion—[Interruption] Order! The question has been asked but I cannot see that there is a responsibility to the Hon Dr Nick Smith as Minister of Housing to answer that particular question.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You saw fit for me to answer equivalent questions about my circumstances in respect of my ministerial house and so I think it is appropriate that I be allowed to answer the Prime Minister’s question.Mr SPEAKER: Order! We are dealing with a question that was raised by the Prime Minister and asked to you as Minister of Housing. Are you seeking the right to answer that question?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Yes I am.Mr SPEAKER: On that basis I am going to allow the Minister to—[Interruption] Order! I have ruled that on the basis that the honourable Minister wants to answer the question I am going to allow—[Interruption] If there are further interjections coming from that side of the House I will be asking both members to remove themselves.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The attitude I have felt consistently from the Prime Minister whether it was for the families and members opposite when they ceased to be Ministers or my own experience was one of sympathy for Ministers’ families. I had children at school in Wellington and I appreciated the Prime Minister’s office allowing those children to stay at school for the 2 weeks to the end of term.Hon Trevor Mallard: Will he now set a good example to Housing New Zealand tenants by paying the $10800 rent as well as the un-reimbursed power the housekeeper services the weekly sheet changing and laundry services the security services and the gardening services from when he stayed in his $2 million former ministerial house after he resigned?Mr SPEAKER: I call the Hon Dr Nick Smith insofar as he has ministerial responsibility.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: At the time I sought advice from both Ministerial Services and Parliamentary Service. I was told that I would not be able to claim a parliamentary allowance for the period the Prime Minister gave me to relocate my family as a backbencher and so I was not claiming parliamentary allowances for the period of grace that Ministerial Services allowed me for my family to move.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I wonder whether you would be able to assist the Opposition in its quest to gain these efficiencies for the State by perhaps ruling that if a Leader of the Opposition publicly announces their intention to relinquish that position and then fails to turn up to Parliament they may not also claim the ministerial salary and various other entitlements that go with that job?Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not a valid point of order but it shows Parliament where we go to when anybody tracks this line of questioning.