Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4336. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: Did he promise to spend $1 billion on education and $1 billion on health from the Future Investment Fund; if so is there enough money not yet committed in the Future Investment Fund to keep his promise?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) on behalf of theMinister of Finance: I am delighted that the member now recognises the benefits of the Government’s share offer programme which he and his colleagues previously opposed—with quite negative consequences for New Zealand taxpayers. Yes we said we would invest those amounts and we will. In terms of final allocations from the Future Investment Fund they will be determined alongside decisions about recycling capital from other areas. The member can rest assured that there will be sufficient money for health and education.Grant Robertson: Does he stand by the statement that he made in the House earlier this week that he will borrow money in order to ensure that those funding promises are met?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not in a position to verify that exact statementright at this moment but I can say that there are a number of options for the Government always to meet its capital commitments. One for example is recycling other capital. Two is spending money and growing debt. Three we have the Future Investment Fund and it is a thrill to see Grant Robertson now supporting the share offer sale that he so vehemently opposed.Grant Robertson: Why has the Minister said as he did in the House this week that he would borrow money to fund the shortfall in the Future Investment Fund when it was specifically set up by him so that he could “fund these things without borrowing from overseas lenders”?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am really enjoying this line of questioning—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just answer the question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Government has done exactly that. It has avoided borrowing $4.7 billion because we did not listen to the Opposition and refuse the Government’s share offer programme. That is a good success for this country for the education sector and for the health sector.Grant Robertson: Is it not the case that this is actually just one more broken promise to go with the broken promise that wages would go up by $6000 by 2017 the broken promise of the surplus this year and the broken promise of no new taxes? Is his Government really on the brink of something special or is it just teetering on the brink with no plan at all?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member can keep trying those lines if he likes but New Zealanders know that New Zealand is running a strong economy relative to the rest of the developed world that we are not in fact introducing new taxes that we are in fact running the country responsibly and its fiscal position is steadily improving despite the challenges of the world economy; and that there is not a snowball’s chance in the proverbial that they will turn to Grant Robertson any time soon.