3. Government Financial Position—Surplus' Impact on Government ServicesGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of FinanceGovernment Financial Position—Surplus' Impact on Government Services3. GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: What conditions would need to be met for him to declare that the operating surplus in the Budget is sustainable?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Finance): I am not sure that a ministerial declaration would make anything more or less sustainable. That said I would say to the member that a sustainable surplus is one that looks to be sustained over a period of time.Grant Robertson: Is it a condition of a sustainable surplus that there would be a reduction in the 41000 New Zealanders who are homeless?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do not think the member's numbers are correct. I think he has just gone to the Labour Party research unit and gone with whatever numbers he has. My definitions of sustained" and "sustainable" are approximately the same; it is when something occurs over a period of time. So for example if you were going to have a decade of deficits then that would probably be a sustained period of deficits.Grant Robertson: Would it be a sustainable surplus if 40000 New Zealand children continued to be hospitalised with preventable diseases?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In terms of the member's numbers I always have to be a bit careful with those because he comes up with them and puts the most negative view of life on them that he can. This Government invests very significantly in public services. It has reduced for example the impact of diseases like rheumatism in young children. We constantly work to improve the indicators of health education and other indicators of family well-being.Grant Robertson: Is it a sustainable surplus if there is no contribution made to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In terms of the priority of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund can I say this to the member: actually there are all sorts of different priorities that New Zealanders have at a period of time. We were pleased with the decision we made to postpone contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund so that we could pay for the rebuild of Christchurch and so that we could pay for supporting vulnerable people through the global financial crisis. We are in surplus now but we do want to get debt down further. We have committed to resuming contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund once debt is below 20 percent of GDP which I notice would be much earlier under this Government than under any other Government that is possible in this House.Grant Robertson: Is it not true that the kind of surplus that he is going to generate is an accountant's surplus built on massive social deficits and infrastructure deficit and all he is going to be able to do on Budget day is claim credit for putting back what he has already taken away from New Zealand families?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not sure how familiar the member is with the accountancy profession going by all the questions he asks me in the House but this Government is absolutely focused on making sure that New Zealand is in a sustainable position and that includes getting debt down so that we have net debt below 20 percent of GDP by 2020. I note the member does not think that is necessary. I think the member thinks he could put that off and spray money around. Well the evidence of events like the Christchurch earthquakes and also in fact the Kaikōura earthquakes is that that is a fool's position to take."