1. Question No. 1—FinanceANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister of FinanceORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Finance1. ANDREW BAYLY (National—Port Waikato) to the Minister of Finance: Is he confident the Government is getting good value for money out of all the taxpayer money that it is spending?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I am confident that not just the Government but New Zealanders and businesses are getting value for money from the Government's investments that are made on behalf of all New Zealanders. I would add that as has always been the case some initiatives do need to be altered along the way to ensure that they deliver the best value for money. This is particularly the case when new programmes are being developed and if we're adopting innovative approaches to improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders there will be occasions when they do not work as initially planned and can be tweaked.Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that the $785 million for a cycle bridge in Auckland would clear the entire waiting list for the 30000 people needing hip replacements plus fund 100000 free mental health counselling sessions?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I'm sure the member is aware of the difference between capital and operating expenditure. He also will be aware that we spend billions and dollars each year in our health system. And he's at risk here of comparing apples and giraffes.Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that for $785 million the Government could pay for all life-saving medicines on Pharmac's unfunded list for two years including for cancer treatment?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can confirm is that the Government has increased the budget for Pharmac by over 25 percent since we've been in office taking it to over a billion dollars a year. And I repeat my earlier answer: the member might want to conflate these things together and Governments previously have always invested in long-term transport projects at the same time as investing in things such as Pharmac.Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that for $785 million the Government could clear the backlog of school classroom upgrades so that our children can learn in safe and healthy environments?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can confirm that the Government has massively increased the amount of funding that we put in to upgrade classrooms as we have done in the health system to improve hospitals after the previous National Government failed to invest in capital in health and education.Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that for $785 million the Government could fix the country's most dangerous road north of Tauranga and build a second Ashburton bridge?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can confirm that the Government is investing billions of dollars in transport and upgrades right across New Zealand. This also includes ensuring that we do maintenance on our State highway network something that the previous Government decided not to bother with.Andrew Bayly: Can he confirm that according to Waka Kotahi for just $300 million more the Government could build an extra harbour crossing with three lanes for cars and buses and a cycle pathway?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I can't confirm that. What I can confirm for the member is that for $785 million he could get some better questions.