3. Schools Funding—ReviewDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister of EducationSchools Funding—ReviewDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): My question is to our fabulous Minister of Education and reads—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We will have just the question without any additional emphasis.3. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Minister of Education: At what stage is the Education Funding System Review at and how is the education sector being engaged?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Following requests from the sector to be engaged in education policy development I established the funding advisory group to consult in the pre-policy stage. This is only the second time we have done this on a major piece of education policy. The group is made up of 18 sector leaders including the presidents of the Post Primary Teachers Association and the New Zealand Educational Institute. In addition there have been over 90 meetings held with teachers and principals across the country to discuss the proposals including extra meetings held on request. The funding advisory group provided its final advice to the ministry early this week and provided it to me overnight and in the interests of transparency I have released it to the public today.David Seymour: Very informative but has she made any decisions on the outcome of the review?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No decisions have been made on any of the proposals. As is the usual Cabinet process and as the Cabinet paper released publicly in June made clear I will report back to Cabinet on next steps informed by the funding advisory group's report the regional engagement and with the Ministry of Education's analysis and advice.David Seymour: In light of her answer that the report is being released only today and no decisions have been made does it not appear premature for teacher unions to hold stopwork meetings about funding changes before this information was even released? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The question has been asked; I now want to hear the answer.Denis O'Rourke: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Mr Speaker under the—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We have a point of order from Denis O'Rourke.Denis O'Rourke: Surely the Minister is not responsible for the unions—has no responsibility for that at all—and the question should be ruled out of order?Mr SPEAKER: No no. I certainly accept the point that the Minister does not have responsibility for the unions but the question as asked is in order and now we want to hear the answer.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Under the collective agreement union members may attend up to two paid union meetings a year as long as the union makes such arrangements with the employer as may be necessary to ensure that the schools remain open for instruction during any union meeting including where appropriate an arrangement for sufficient union members to remain available during the meeting to enable the school to remain open for instruction. In the past paid union meetings have often been held outside of schools hours to avoid disruption to students and parents.David Seymour: In light of that answer in this instance were any reasons provided why the paid union meetings could not have occurred after school or during the school holidays that will occur within 2 weeks?Mr SPEAKER: Order! No—the way that question is worded it is not in order. If the member wanted to ask about any reports received etc. I could consider that but the way it was asked was definitely out of order.David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the question because in my view the Minister does have responsibility. She is responsible for one side of the collective agreement—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Now the member is very much in danger of arguing with the Speaker which is a very serious offence. I have ruled it out of order and I have given the member an opportunity to rephrase it. He would be very wise to use it; otherwise I am quite happy to move on.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I just want to clarify something that has transpired and I do note that you had your head down and you were concentrating at the time that these words were said—Mr SPEAKER: Can I have the point of order now.Ron Mark: The point of order is this: is it now given that this has happened twice under this member's questioning acceptable for the members of this side of the House to preface the question with In light of that answer"?Mr SPEAKER: No it is certainly not within Speakers' rulings to use "In light of that answer" but I would more commonly hear that type of supplementary question coming from my left. If the member wants me to toughen up I will do it but I will do it fairly to both sides. I suspect that if the Opposition wants to reflect on that for a while longer it would be advised to leave the status quo as it is. That is the indication I am certainly getting from some of the senior members to my left.David Seymour: In light of her answer to my earlier supplementary question has the Minister seen any reports as to whether or not these particular meetings this time could not have been held either after school or during the school holidays which will occur in 2 weeks' time?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I have not seen any and as I have already indicated in the past these paid union meetings have often occurred outside school hours so that parents are not inconvenienced. It is particularly surprising in the context that all of the union leaders have been involved for 3 months in discussing the report. They have reported their—Mr SPEAKER: Bring the answer to a conclusion.Hon HEKIA PARATA: There have been 90 regional engagement meetings all outside of school hours.David Seymour: What disruption will holding the paid union meetings during class time cause to students and parents?Hon HEKIA PARATA: It is a disruption to students but it is also a significant inconvenience—Dr David Clark: Sort out the education system and then you won't have that problem—if you sort out the education system.Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon HEKIA PARATA: That is what the funding review is all about—it is sorting out the education system.Mr SPEAKER: Order! If Dr David Clark wants to ask a supplementary question that is in order. But he does it in the way that everybody else does—he rises to his feet if he has a supplementary question. Would the Minister now complete the answer without interjection from the front bench of the Labour Party.Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes it is an inconvenience to parents particularly in the context that I have already explained. These issues have been the subject of discussion by 18 sector leaders and union leaders for the past 3 months 90 engagement meetings have been held with teachers and principals across the country and the review is reporting only this week after the union meetings have begun.Chris Hipkins: Has the Ministry of Education instructed student school transport providers not to collect students earlier on the days when their schools will be empty of teachers; if so why is she putting student safety at risk?Mr SPEAKER: Either of those two supplementary questions.Hon HEKIA PARATA: I have had a report that the ministry inappropriately advised a school in Palmerston North. It has since corrected that. And no I am not happy about students being put at risk. The ministry has publicly apologised for doing so. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The level of interjection now coming from both sides of the House is excessive and it must calm down."