Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 02 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19115. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Leader of the Opposition)to the Prime Minister: Is he still committed to “ensuring our schools are working for all students” and is he satisfied his Government has done enough to ensure that every child has equal access to a low-cost public education?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes.Hon David Cunliffe: Can he confirm that the amount sought by schools in so-called voluntary donations has increased by around 30 percent since he took office and that parents are facing increasing pressure to pay these donations at a time when the education budget has been cut in real terms in four out of his six Budgets?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I cannot confirm that. What I can confirm is that donations make up about 2 percent of the money that schools receive. I can confirm that an additional $600 million is being granted in operational grants in the last 6 years. I can confirm that if somebody says to a school that you will get $100 a child but by the way the activity fee will still be applied the parents will end up paying exactly the same as they are today.Hon David Cunliffe: Does the Prime Minister think it is acceptable that schools are punishing the children of parents who simply cannot afford to pay these so-called donations by shaming them in ways such as giving out “donation paid” tags to children to attach to their schoolbags?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I do not think it is right actually that parents should be belittled if they cannot afford to pay a donation. But I go back to the primary point. It is one thing to say to a school “I’ll give you $100 for a child.” but if you leave the activity fee there all we know is that taxpayers are going to pay probably nearer $75 million in additional costs and by the way parents are going to pay exactly the same because like a normal Labour Party policy you have to read the fine print to work it out.Hon David Cunliffe: Given that answer does the Prime Minister have any proposals to limit either donations or activity fees?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: That is for the schools to set what they believe is appropriate. It would continue to be under Labour because under “Tricky Dave” they will still be paying their activity fee.Hon David Cunliffe: If it is parliamentary to use that phrase would “Slippery John” like to confirm why the education budget is 2.3 percent lower today than it was when he took office and is that why school donations have increased by 30 percent over his watch?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I would have thought that the Leader of the Opposition would be better at counting because he is constantly having to count numbers in his own caucus. But $10.1 billion—Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In the first place the Prime Minister had not begun to address the question. In the second place he has no responsibility for the Labour caucus unlike his own Minister of Foreign Affairs.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not need assistance—no. [Interruption] Order! On this occasion the Prime Minister did address the question by disputing the figures that the member had raised in his question. Further supplementary? [Interruption] Order! The member the Hon David Cunliffe raised a point of order through the answer. The Prime Minister clearly wants to add further to the answer. The answer has not at this stage been too long and I invite the Prime Minister to complete his answer.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Thank you Mr Speaker. So going back to the primary point this Government is spending $10.1 billion in education more than has ever been spent on education in the history of this country.Hon David Cunliffe: Given that answer will the Prime Minister now adopt Labour’s guarantee of ring-fencing the real value of education investment so that New Zealand’s schoolchildren and hard-up parents are not pressured for so-called voluntary donations that have increased by a third under his watch?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The only thing that the Labour policy is guaranteeing is that taxpayers will pay an extra $75 million and parents will pay exactly the same. The member knows that because what will happen is every school in the country will charge more for activities. Every school in the country will look for other ways to raise money from their parents. In the end New Zealanders will pay more.Hon David Cunliffe: What would the Prime Minister say to the mother of two school-aged boys whom I met in Papakura who was working two jobs on a minimum wage to put food on the table for her family and cried because she faced the choice of working more hours and being worried her children would go further off the rails to pay for his voluntary school donation?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: What I would say firstly is that there are plenty of parents who for financial reasons do not make a payment towards donations and that is totally acceptable. Secondly what I would say to that family is that you will under a Labour policy pay more for your activity fee—so in effect you will not pay less. The third thing I would say to that hard-working woman is: “Continue as I am sure you do because you are in Judith Collins’ electorate to vote National because if you vote Labour”—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The answer is sufficient.