5. Budget 2017—Productivity Social Spending Tax Cuts and Government PrioritiesGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of FinanceBudget 2017—Productivity Social Spending Tax Cuts and Government Priorities5. GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Finance): Yes I do stand by all my statements particularly in relation to Budget 2017 and the Budget debate last night when I said I found it the strangest thing that the party of Michael Joseph Savage the New Zealand Labour Party managed to vote against lifting the incomes of low-income working people and low-income struggling people. Grant Robertson: If he stands by his statement that productivity improvements mean that it is not necessary for his Government to increase social spending in line with population growth and inflation to stand still what is the percentage contribution of productivity to meeting this goal? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not convinced that the member is quoting my statement correctly. What I said to the member at the committee before lunch today was that the Government is increasing its social sector spending but also expects productivity improvements alongside those increases. Grant Robertson: What is the percentage contribution of productivity to meeting the goal of standing still in terms of social spending? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well it does not meet the goal because actually we are not standing still. We are increasing our public sector spending and investment in public services by $7 billion over the next 4 years. The productivity improvements will come on top of that and that is what we are seeking as we always have on behalf of the public of New Zealand: to increase the investment but also increase productivity so we get more from that investment that we are making. Grant Robertson: Why is giving a tax cut worth an average of $34 a week for a household earning more than $150000 a higher priority than funding the health sector so that the Waikato District Health Board does not have to turn people away from the emergency department so that Wellington Hospital can actually provide beds for patients having surgery the next day or so that the Canterbury District Health Board could actually see young people for their mental health needs within a month of being referred? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well the member is just wrong. We are investing $3.9 billion more—Dr David Clark: Those are all facts! Hon STEVEN JOYCE: —and that is the fact—in New Zealand's health services in Budget 2017 which I know through some sort of convoluted spreadsheet that the member thinks is somehow a cut but it is not. Actually this Government stands proudly on the side of Kiwi workers of all incomes especially low and middle income earners and I invite him to go out and say that he will campaign to remove the income increases that they are getting through this Budget through Working for Families through the accommodation supplement and also through the tax system. Grant Robertson: Why is giving himself a tax cut of more than a thousand dollars a year a higher priority than funding GPs properly so that they do not have to increase their fees or are the GPs wrong when they say that they have not received capitation funding and so therefore they will have to increase their fees? Mr SPEAKER: There are two supplementary questions there. The Minister can address one or both. Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Government is investing more in primary care it is investing more in the ambulance system it is investing more in the district health boards it is investing more in mental health and it is investing $3.9 billion more over the next 4 years. I appreciate that Mr Robertson has never seen a time and will never see a time when any Kiwis should actually keep more of their incomes. This Government has a different view particularly in the case of low and middle income New Zealanders. Grant Robertson: Everyone else is wrong. Hon STEVEN JOYCE: That is pathetic. Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! You can score the performance later on.