Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 16 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4392. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Is he satisfied with his Minister of Building and Housing’s handling of the issue of cold and damp rental properties in light of his statement that “people dying in winter of pneumonia and other illnesses is not new”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.Andrew Little: Has he received a letter signed by over 21000 New Zealanders calling for immediate cross-party action on this issue because Kiwi families should not have to go through more winters in cold damp rentals that are killing people like toddler Emma-Lita Bourne?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes and I could take it a little bit more seriously if it was not laced with fake names including one Lindsay Tisch who happens to be a National Party caucus member who did not sign the petition. By the way here is the letter from the Labour Party apologising for getting it wrong—no better than the Greens just making up names—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Supplementary question—[Interruption] Order! For the benefit of the Hon Todd McClay when I rise—[Interruption] Order! If that Minister wishes to stay for his question I would advise him to cooperate. When I stand on my feet I expect members to then cease their interjections.Andrew Little: Does he accept that with hundreds of thousands of Kiwis still living in cold damp and unhealthy rentals more half-measures like insulation and fire alarms alone just will not cut it?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I accept there are both some rental properties and actually properties that people would own that are in a poor state of affairs. But I also acknowledge what this Government has done which is to insulate every State house that practically can be insulated and to put together a Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme which has insulated 240000 homes. The truth is that this Government inherited Housing New Zealand stock that was a complete mess and run down by the previous Government.Andrew Little: Given there are already 61 votes in this Parliament for Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill which will ensure that all rentals are insulated heated dry and weathertight will he accept my offer to work together to make all rentals warm and dry?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No not in the legislation that the member is presenting because I do not think it actually meets the bill. But in terms of what the Government is working on if the member wants to work with the Government on its proposals we look forward to working with him on them.Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question—[Interruption] Order! I have called for order. Andrew Little is asking a supplementary question.Andrew Little: What exactly is the Prime Minister proposing that his Government puts together that we can work on that is going to make all rental homes warm and dry rather than just insulated and with smoke alarms?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Government has a range of initiatives and some more to be announced. But I will make this point: the member keeps talking about a warm home and yes warmth clearly comes from insulation but is the member really saying that it is now the responsibility of the landlord to actually physically turn on the heaters and pay for those for a tenant? That seems to be what the member is actually saying.Andrew Little: I seek leave to have the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill in my name set down as members’ order of the day No. 1.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that particular course of action. Is there any objection? There is objection.Andrew Little: Why is he refusing Kiwis’ wish for Parliament to work as one to improve the lives of Kiwis who are living and dying in cold damp homes?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: As I said the Government is going to have a range of initiatives as well as things it has already announced and we are more than happy to work with any Opposition party that wants to do that but the bill that we have seen does not actually meet the mark. But I go back to the fundamental point: when we came into office after 9 years of a Labour Government the Housing New Zealand stock was a mess. There was a fraction of the private homes in New Zealand that were insulated. The members can try to forget about all of that but what it shows you is that in Government they were like little lamb chops. They roar like lions in Opposition but it is very hard to take them seriously when they did absolutely nothing in Government.