Mark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 22 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:128. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.RON MARK (NZ First)to the Minister of Immigration: Does he have an ideal number of migrants coming to New Zealand; if so what is that number?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Immigration):I do have an ideal situation for migrants coming to New Zealand and it is quantifiable but not in a single number. My ideal is as many international students as want to come and study at our tertiary institutions; as many tourists who want to come and enjoy our beautiful country; as many skilled migrants as is necessary to fill the skill demands that we have; and because migration data also includes New Zealanders coming home as many New Zealanders who want to come home and contribute to this country’s social and economic development.Ron Mark: As the Minister has just admitted to the House that he has no clear idea of what an ideal level of immigration is—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have a point of order and no one should be surprised.Hon Gerry Brownlee: The Standing Orders are very clear on what must be or should be in a question. Equally they are clear on what there should not be. Statements of supposition that were statements effectively at the beginning of what we hoped would be a question are not inside the Standing Orders and should not be allowed in this Parliament.Rt Hon Winston Peters: The problem with that complaint is that the Minister did say that he did not have an optimum figure that he could give the House. He admitted that he did not have that figure. He referred to tourists and he referred to students neither of which was part of the primary question and so frankly he is guilty by the statement he made.Hon Gerry Brownlee: The Minister made it clear that he did not have an ideal number but he had a series of scenarios that were acceptable. For the member to characterise the Minister’s answer as an admission at the start of his question it is not an acceptable way to ask a question in this House.Mr SPEAKER: I have heard enough. [Interruption] Order! I am on my feet. Strictly interpreting the Standing Orders all questions should start with a question word but if members also take the opportunity to review Hansard today they will see that on many occasions members take the opportunity to add an introduction which I have been relatively lenient in allowing. But as the member who is asking the question will have noted when he starts a question like that it will inevitably lead to disorder. So I invite the member if he wants to ask a supplementary question to now rise and ask a supplementary question without the additional comments about a Minister having no idea etc.Ron Mark: Thank you Mr Speaker; thank you Gerry. Does the Minister noting that he has not given an ideal level of immigration to the House today realise that uncontrolled immigration is forcing Kiwis into queues for hospital beds queues for housing and queues for jobs and is driving down Kiwi wages?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I think it would be helpful to assist the member by describing what migration definitions informed the permanent and long-term migration data that he sees. A migrant includes somebody who is here for a short time for a long-term temporary basis and permanently and New Zealanders returning home. The member describes an out-of-control or uncontrolled permanent residence migration by foreigners. That is not true. We have a planning range of between 45000 and 50000 residents per year and in the 5 years to 2014 we have not met that range because migration policy is demand-driven and the demand during the recession has not been there. So I reject the assertion that it is somehow uncontrolled immigration.Ron Mark: Is it not a fact that a Government using open-door immigration policies is likely to drive down wages and living standards and when will he admit that we—New Zealand—are on track to replicate exactly what is happening in the United Kingdom right now?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I simply reject the prefacing comments about uncontrolled migration. We have very strict immigration policies which are labour market - tested for temporary visa holders and are very well controlled for permanent residence visa holders. I note that permanent residence visa numbers presently are 20 percent below the 2006-07 numbers that existed when that member’s party was supporting Labour on confidence and supply.Ron Mark: So if the number of people coming into New Zealand as reported recently in 1 year is such that it translates into a need for 8000 new homes just to meet their requirements and the Minister of Building and Housing has just told the House today that he has managed to build six houses this year—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We are now getting to the stage where it is a speech. Ask the supplementary question.Ron Mark: Thank you Mr Speaker. What is the whole-of-Government plan to cater for this level of immigration in terms of infrastructural needs in terms of housing needs and in terms of catering for the hospitals and their extra workload? What is this Government’s population plan for New Zealand?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Michael Woodhouse in so far as he has ministerial responsibility.Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: As I think I have already explained the migration data on which the member bases his question include working holidaymakers international students people who are going to help us rebuild our second-largest city and above all Kiwis coming home. Yes they need houses and this Government does have a plan to fix housing supply but I reject the inference that this is somehow some kind of peril that we need to be managing.