Delahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Delahunty Catherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 24 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6123. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
9. 
CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Will any newly merged or reopened schools in Christchurch be expected to use some community facilities that are ordinarily provided on-site at a school? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS (Associate Minister of Education) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Education: This is currently the case. Schools across the country and of course in Christchurch already do use community facilities. In fact the schools themselves are community facilities. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: Can she confirm that some schools in Christchurch have been told by her ministry that they may not have a school library on site under the new school structure? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: No. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: Does she consider it acceptable that if a school did not have a library on site children may need to walk a long distance or take the bus to town in order to borrow a book? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: There is an opportunity in Christchurch for the communities of Christchurch to not only rebuild schools but build better schools and better facilities to be used by themselves and the community. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is very interesting to hear the story but my question was about whether it was acceptable that if a school did not have a library on site the children may need to walk long distances etc. He did not address anything to do with libraries or acceptability or distance which is what my question was about. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member’s question actually asked for the Minister’s opinion—whether he considers that acceptable. What the Minister indicated in his answer when he gave his opinion was that much was going to be invested in these new schools and facilities for Christchurch. He was implying I think—but it is up to the Minister to clarify that—that that sort of thing would not be happening. But the Minister had better clarify his answer in relation to the question asked. I realise it is an opinion being sought but if he could assist. 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: I agree with your answer Mr Speaker. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That is my very point. Now we have got a Minister having the effrontery to rise and say he agrees with your answer and that is what the very issue that has been moot in this place for a long time has been about. That cannot be a way to conduct parliamentary question time in this House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member makes a reasonable point and I accept that. I took the Minister’s response as meaning that that was what he intended with his answer. The dilemma is that the member asked him for an opinion and there is no particular answer when an opinion is asked. That is my dilemma. I try to be helpful to members but if members seek Ministers’ opinions it is difficult when they ask the Speaker to intervene when they get an answer that is a little different from what they expected. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can you clarify. I understand what you said about opinions but if there is no relationship between the answer and the topic is that simply because I asked him whether he thought something was acceptable? He did not even relate it to the question in any way. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: What it would actually I would hope mean to the member is that there is a different way of asking that question that turns the question into seeking facts from the Minister. By asking “Will children have to travel this far to get books from the library?” then the member can get an answer. But asking an opinion—whether the member’s statement is acceptable—I cannot ask the Minister to be very precise in answering it and that is the dilemma. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: Will she guarantee that there will be a library and a librarian on site at each school? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: I am looking forward to the recommendations from the consultation from clusters. They may include libraries; they may not include libraries. They may include new learning environments. They may include internet learning with ultra-fast broadband across the world which is obviously a fair distance to walk. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a very simple specific question on— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It asked whether the Minister would guarantee and clearly—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! Clearly from the answer the Minister gave he is saying that he cannot—he is not guaranteeing that at the moment because he is saying he will listen to the consultation. That is one way of saying that he is not guaranteeing that. That is not an unreasonable answer to the question. 
Nikki Kaye 
: How much is the Government spending on improving community facilities in Greater Christchurch? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: Thank you; what an excellent question. The Government is spending $1 billion building brilliant schools in Greater Christchurch. A large proportion of these new facilities will become valuable community assets. We do not want to only rebuild schools; we want to build them better for better educational outcomes. That is why we are investing $1 billion over the next decade in Christchurch schools. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a good example of a very clear question which asked if I can read off the transcript how much the Government is spending. I heard lots of answers but no dollar figure. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I— 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is the member wishing to speak to the point of order? 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: I can clarify the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If the Minister is wanting to be helpful to the House. 
Hon CRAIG FOSS 
: It is such a good and large number—$1 billion will be spent by this Government in Christchurch on schools over the next 10 years. 
Catherine Delahunty 
: I seek leave to table a commentary written by the president of the School Library Association of New Zealand in a September 2012 newsletter that highlights the concern about falling writing skills and the importance of free access to books— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.