King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3365. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister for Social Development: How much in real terms has Government funding for Relationships Aotearoa changed since 2008?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): In so far as I have ministerial responsibility baseline funding from the Ministry of Social Development for Relationships Aotearoa in 2007-08 was $3.1 million. In 2014-15 it received $3.8 million. In addition to this Relationships Aotearoa has received around $13 million from the Ministry of Social Development in one-off grants for recession funding services and capability building during this time.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer what Consumers Price Index adjustments has the Ministry of Social Development made to its contract with Relationships Aotearoa in the past 7 years—has it been zero 1 percent 2 percent?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I am advised that the whole sector that the Ministry of Social Development works with has had no inflation adjustments since 2010-11. However if you look at the baseline funding that I have just enunciated the 2007-08 funding of $3.1 million would—Chris Hipkins: What about the total funding?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: If you would just listen—just listen—it is coming. It would be the equivalent of $3.6 million in today’s terms. Therefore I repeat: Relationships Aotearoa has received $3.8 million which is more than that CPI adjustment.Hon Annette King: Why did she state on Television One recently that Relationships Aotearoa had received “a number of one-off grants from the Ministry of Social Development” when in fact it had received one grant for its IT system not towards delivering services?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Because the member is wrong. It has received a number of grants. In fact I can tell the member that it received just under $2.5 million in community response funding. That was for two separate grants I understand. It has received just over $9 million for Canterbury earthquake recovery services and it has received $1.4 million for capability investment funding.Hon Annette King: Why does she—Hon Dr Nick Smith: Apologise.Hon Annette King: Beg your pardon?Hon Dr Nick Smith: The member should apologise.Hon Annette King: The member should take a—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member should just ask her supplementary question.Hon Annette King: Why does she continue to denigrate Relationships Aotearoa by claiming it has made no attempt to be financially sustainable when it has one reduced expenditure and two laid off around 46 people last year while at the same time providing much-needed services to earthquake-affected people in Canterbury?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I have made no comments that denigrate Relationships Aotearoa but what I have said is that with taxpayers’ money which is funding organisations like Relationships Aotearoa we have a duty a responsibility to make sure that we get the services we are paying for and Relationships Aotearoa has not fulfilled its contracts for quite some time. We also have a responsibility to make sure that these organisations can live within their budgets. Relationships Aotearoa has run deficit budgets for the last 4 years—in fact this year there is a large deficit that we are not sure how it is going to be able to fund.Hon Annette King: Why have she and her office knifed Relationships Aotearoa publicly by leaking incorrect information to the media while knowing that the Government has cut $4.8 million off its budget since 2012?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: The member makes a number of assertions—Hon Ruth Dyson: That are true.Hon ANNE TOLLEY: —none of which are correct. It is not true. I have not knifed it in the back. In fact I met with the interim board this afternoon and we had a very constructive discussion and negotiations are under way. That member needs to take a breath and go back to her sources because they are dead wrong.