3. Question No. 3—FinanceHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 3—Finance3. Hon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana) to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement We have gone line by line through our savings program to ensure that we have cut the chaff but not wheat"?Hon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance): Yes. Ministers have gone line by line through savings proposals with a focus on reprioritising funds currently tied to lower-value programmes programmes that don't align with the coalition Government's priorities and non-essential back-office functions including contractor and consultant spend. We will keep our commitment to New Zealanders to stop wasteful spending improve value for money and drive resources to front-line services. I would remind the member opposite that every dollar we spend has an opportunity cost and for so long as people are waiting for surgery for specialist appointments and are struggling to pay the bills we owe it to New Zealanders to get maximum value from every dollar.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are 111 operators the wheat or the chaff?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: I find it distasteful for any member of this House to refer to people in those terms. My statement referred to programmes and I don't think anyone in this House should ever refer to a person as "chaff". Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are the roles at Callaghan Innovation which she is proposing to cut the wheat or the chaff when last year R & D spending increased by the largest amount since records began?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: As I said every dollar that the Government spends has an opportunity cost. Ministers in this Government are doing the right thing by looking through all spending not just to see whether it is well intended or sounded nice in a press release but whether it is driving the outcomes and results that were promised. It shouldn't be a surprise to that member to learn that there's a lot of dollars that have been wasted. Hon David Seymour: Can the Minister please explain what she means by "opportunity cost" in case it is helpful to the Opposition?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well I think the Minister asks a good question—Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: How is this in order?Hon NICOLA WILLIS:—because this is a concept that I think some may struggle with—SPEAKER: Just a minute sorry—just a minute. Look if someone raises a matter in a question surely it can be followed up in a question. Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: The last part of his question was totally out of order.SPEAKER: Well the last part of the question—I agree. OK. You're quite right. So we'll get that struck from the Hansard. Please don't do that again Mr Seymour.Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well Mr Speaker I realise there is sensitivity about the term—SPEAKER: No that doesn't help either.Hon NICOLA WILLIS: —"Opportunity cost": what that explains is that for every dollar that the Government is using the alternative is that actually it stayed in the bank account of a New Zealander who is struggling with the groceries. It's a dollar that could have gone to progress surgery faster for someone waiting on a waiting list. It is a dollar that could have been used by someone who is waiting to pay the bills. So we owe it to New Zealanders to ensure that every dollar is going to its maximum value.Hon Barbara Edmonds: What advice if any has she received about the risks that cuts to DIA's anti - money-laundering team could put New Zealand on the international grey list which would significantly reduce foreign direct investment inflows? Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well if the member wants to ask a specific question about a specific programme she should either put it to the Minister or put it to me on notice. I can't recall having received any advice about that but I am very proud that this is a Government that's going to be hiring 500 police and they're going to be cracking down on crime.Hon Barbara Edmonds: How can she say "We have gone line by line" but whenever this side of the House asks about the specifics of the cuts the answer is "It is an operational matter"?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well because there's 21 days to wait until Budget day and if the best that the member has is that she's a bit upset that I'm not giving her all the details of the Budget yet then I suggest she get someone better to write the questions."