Twyford Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTwyford Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 06 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12313. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū)to theMinister of Housing: What is the number of Housing New Zealand houses which are currently vacant as a proportion of the total Housing New Zealand stock?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing):Of the 68913 homes 390 or 0.6 percent are vacant and available to be tenanted. About half of these at any time are under not offer but not yet let or occupied. A good example of this is the house Mr Shearer was photographed peering into last Thursday. One thousand and fifty-three or 1.5 percent are vacant because they are earthquake prone or under earthquake repairs; 248 or 0.36 percent are under redevelopment; 1301 have repairs under way; 545 or 0.8 percent are vacant pending sale; and 60 or 0.1 percent are vacant for miscellaneous reasons such as being ex-P labs fire damage or because they are awaiting demolition.Phil Twyford: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister in a question that was set down what is the number of houses that are currently vacant. We heard a catalogue of subcategories; I asked for the number that are vacant and he did not answer the question.Mr SPEAKER: I am absolutely sure that the Minister included that number but if the Minister did not include that number could he do so. [Interruption ] The Minister says that he did. The member has a further supplementary question. [Interruption ] Order! Does the member have a further supplementary question?Phil Twyford: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked for the number of houses that are vacant. I got a catalogue of—[Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: Order! We are having some assistance from the Minister the Hon Dr Nick Smith.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The issue is that a lot of State houses are vacant today because—[Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: I am allowing the Minister to speak to this point of order to try to assist in getting the answer. If members are going to object it is clear that they are not interested in the explanation.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The issue is that lots of houses for instance today are vacant because the tenants are out at work or out doing training. “Vacant” is a very broad definition. That is why I provided detailed information to the member. [Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will hear from the member his point of order.Phil Twyford: It was a question that was set down. The language was very precise and very simple. I asked for the number of vacant houses not a catalogue of subtotals and subcategories. [Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have listened carefully to the points of order that have been raised. I have listened to the question. I have listened to the answer. The best way forward on this occasion is that I will allow the member an additional supplementary question if he so requires.Phil Twyford: What is the number of Housing New Zealand houses which are currently vacant as a proportion of the total Housing New Zealand stock? Currently vacant.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Of course a property can be vacant for lots of reasons. The important figure—Hon Members: How many?Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —the important figure—is houses that are vacant and are ready to be tenanted. That number is 390 or 0.6 percent. It is true that there are some houses that are being demolished. It is also true that some houses have been wrecked by earthquakes. They too are vacant but it is a nonsense to include them in the member’s message about vacant properties.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have a point of order from the Hon Trevor Mallard but just before I accept the point of order I want to be fair to the member. I have said that if he—and there are two other members—raises points of order that are not legitimate I will be asking the member to leave the House. On this occasion this will not be occurring.Hon Trevor Mallard: No I understand that I am under extreme prejudice. The question that was asked both as a primary question and the essence of it as a supplementary question—and the primary question was set down—asked about the number that are currently vacant. It did not ask whether that was a good question or whether some other question should have been asked and my view is that the Minister should have come to the House with that number and the proportion.Mr SPEAKER: It is a very legitimate point of order that has been raised by the member. I may well agree with the member but on this occasion I am not responsible for the answer. I gave the member an additional supplementary question so he reused it to ask exactly the same primary question. The Minister has chosen to answer it in the way that he has. I can move this matter no further forward except to invite Mr Twyford to continue his line of questioning.Phil Twyford: I seek leave to table a communication from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment that shows that 3703 vacant properties are held by Housing New Zealand.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular communication. Is there objection? There is none. It can be so tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question Phil Twyford. [Interruption ] Order! I have called Phil Twyford.Phil Twyford: Why is the offers and repairs process allowing approximately 1700 properties classified as “lettable” by Housing New Zealand to be vacant an increase of more than 200 since January 2012?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: For very good reason. The previous Government significantly underspent on maintenance. We are spending on average $5000 on the repairs to houses at the time that they become vacant and before they are further let. For that reason I would much rather re-let a quality property than one that was in the run-down mess left by the previous Government.Phil Twyford: Given his statement that there are 1200 homes empty for minor repairs what definition of minor repair is he using and is he happy that 1200 tenants many of them families have been moved out of their homes often into overcrowded and substandard housing simply because of minor repairs?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Let me make the issue of minor repairs clear: three-quarters of the properties that become vacant have to have $5000 or more spent on them. We can have an academic argument about whether $5000 is minor or not; I am actually quite proud of the fact that this Government is going to spend $2.9 billion over the next 3 years making sure that we have got houses of some quality that I would be happy to have a family in.Phil Twyford: Supplementary question—Mr SPEAKER: Can I just check whether the member has had the additional supplementary question. The member has had not only his share but the additional one that I generously gave him earlier.