Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 05 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3144. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that “returning to surplus and repaying debt are among the most important things the Government can do to ensure New Zealand can withstand future shocks and build a more competitive economy based on exports and new jobs”; if so will there be a surplus for the 2014/15 year?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): In answer to his questions yes I do stand by my statement and no there will not be a surplus for that year. But I want to thank our public servants for their role in the very substantial progress the Government has made on getting back to surplus. They have worked hard to provide more for less and despite the fact that for many public services there has been no new money public trust in public services is higher than it has ever been—certainly it is higher than the period when the previous Labour Government was pouring cash into every service.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer why did he make the promise to New Zealanders in September last year that No. 1 of his five fiscal priorities for the next 3 years was “Return to surplus this year and maintain surpluses over the next 3 years”?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Because it still is our very high priority to get back to surplus. The analogy I used the other day was if you set out to lose 10 kilos and you lose 9.9 kilos you are almost there and we are almost there with the surplus.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer from the Minister if he was trying to lose 10 kilos to fit into a suit for his brother’s wedding and he lost only 9.8 kilos he still does not fit into the suit and is that not a failure?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Well—Tim Macindoe: He can just borrow one of yours.Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes. It was my niece’s wedding and the suit was a bit tight but I wish I had borrowed the member’s.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer and as someone with some knowledge of weight loss in recent times can the Minister finally admit that he has failed to meet the promise he made to New Zealanders at the last election to get into surplus this year and will he finally ditch the excuses and front up?Hon BILL ENGLISH: There are no excuses. I mean before Christmas the Government published the updated forecast which showed a deficit. The member might have only just figured that out but that was actually 6 months ago. So in 2014-15 we will not quite get to surplus. In 2015-16 and the following years the member will just have to wait for the Budget. But we are on track. Actually I have a much easier life than that member who gets up in the House every day saying the surplus should be bigger when all his caucus are saying that we should spend more money.David Seymour: Can the Minister confirm Treasury reports that this Government will be in surplus every year from the mid-2020s for decades and is that a greater priority than making surplus this year; if so what is the Government doing about it?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Bill English—any one of those three supplementary questions.Hon BILL ENGLISH: I admire the way the member makes us all look very “short termist” here. We are focusing on a surplus now but the member is quite correct to have understood that the Government is making decisions particularly around the way it is approaching long-term welfare dependency that will be having an impact on surpluses in the 2020s. For instance the number of sole parents under 20 has dropped by 40 percent in 3 years. New Zealand will be making savings because of that intervention for the next 20 or 30 years.Grant Robertson: Can the Minister guarantee a surplus for the 2015-16 year?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member will just have to wait for the Budget. But I can anticipate that in the Budget whatever the operating balance is the Government will be pointing out that these numbers move around according to economic conditions. What is under our control is Government expenditure and that is certainly on track.