Yang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16555. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Dr JIAN YANG (National)to the Minister for Economic Development: How is the Government making it easier quicker and less complicated for businesses to deal with the Government?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development):Mr Speaker—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! In a minute a member from this immediate quarter of the House will be leaving the Chamber. I rose to my feet. I called for order. The barracking that continued from a number of members is completely unacceptable.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yesterday the Minister of Commerce Craig Foss and I formally launched the New Zealand Business Number. Businesses have been requesting a universal identifier for business for many years. Similar approaches are used in other developed countries including Australia and Singapore. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I now require this answer to be heard in silence. If any member interrupts this answer that member will be leaving this Chamber.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: From the top Mr Speaker?Mr SPEAKER: Yes.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yesterday the Minister of Commerce Craig Foss and I formally launched the New Zealand Business Number. Businesses have been requesting a universal identifier for many years. Similar approaches are used in other developed countries including Australia and Singapore. Having a single business number means that by 2016 businesses will have to provide Government with their information only once and it will be shared across Government agencies. The New Zealand Business Number is a core initiative of the Government’s Better Public Services programme for business which is working towards making it easier for business to work with Government agencies.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just so that we get absolute clarity because I am sure none of us want to leave was the requirement for silence for all of the answers to the supplementary questions or just to the primary question?Mr SPEAKER: That is a very good example of why the member would be better to keep his interjections to a minimum level and to listen. The requirement was for that particular answer but I still do not want to hear or have to listen to a return to the unruly barracking that I was hearing earlier.Dr Jian Yang: What are the benefits of a New Zealand Business Number?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Rather than having a range of numbers and identifiers for businesses to deal with the New Zealand Business Number is a single identifying number for all businesses and commercial entities in this country. Initially the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment the Ministry for Primary Industries the Customs Service Statistics New Zealand the Inland Revenue Department ACC Callaghan Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise are committed to the New Zealand Business Number and more Government agencies will follow as it is rolled out. The New Zealand Business Number will also help simplify business-to-business transactions making it easier for businesses to invoice out and pay bills apply for credit and authenticate other businesses. Software providers are already integrating the New Zealand Business Number into their software packages.Dr Jian Yang: How will businesses obtain a New Zealand Business Number?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Registered companies were allocated a New Zealand Business Number in December last year. We are now consulting on how and when to allocate a New Zealand Business Number to the other half of all New Zealand businesses that are not companies. Business representative groups have told us that they want it to be as easy as possible to access their New Zealand Business Number and we are investigating how they can be allocated automatically. Ultimately the New Zealand Business Number is about ensuring businesses can spend more time on their business and less time with compliance costs for the Government. We are keen to hear from businesses on whom should be allocated a number what information should be linked the rules around using it and how to ensure information is protected.Hon David Cunliffe: Was Judith Collins making it “easier quicker and less complicated” for Oravida its directors or the National Party to make money?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there is ministerial responsibility the Hon Steven Joyce.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: New Zealand Government Ministers work all the time to enhance the prospects of New Zealand companies operating in international markets. This Government is proud of that approach. It is building exports and growing business for New Zealand companies offshore. I appreciate that the Labour Party is a thin veneer—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was specific about Minister Collins—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been addressed. It was a marginal question as to whether it had ministerial responsibility.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask why you say that the question was marginal. The question was in order so why did you say it was a marginal question?Mr SPEAKER: Because I considered that it was. Otherwise I would not have said anything else. I let the question go through and I advised the Minister when answering it to address it in so far as he had ministerial responsibility. The member is free to disagree with my opinion but he still must accept it.