2. Social Housing Minister—Confidence and HomelessnessJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime MinisterSocial Housing Minister—Confidence and Homelessness2. JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.James Shaw: How can he have confidence in his Minister for Social Housing when on her watch the number of severely housing deprived Kiwis has increased 25 percent meaning at least one in every hundred New Zealanders will go to bed tonight in an overcrowded house a night shelter or a car?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I take with a grain of salt the member's numbers but the reason I have confidence in the Minister for Social Housing is that she has been working hard in this area for a long period of time including the stocktaking and review that was done in the early part of last year and the work that was announced as part of Budget 2016—the $41 million that will assist people in need of emergency support and the $200 million for social housing. She was also instrumental in getting agreement from the Minister of Finance to ensure that income-related rents would move to social housing providers as well as Housing New Zealand. James Shaw: I seek leave to table Otago University research from 3 June 2016 that shows that homelessness in New Zealand has grown by 25 percent.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular University of Otago research. Is there any objection to it being tabled? [Interruption] Is that an objection? There is objection. James Shaw: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seek your advice in this situation and several others like it. It is becoming an increasing tactic of the Prime Minister and the Government to answer questions simply by quibbling the numbers in the Opposition's questions knowing full well that we are not able to table the data afterwards. I am just wondering whether you think that is an adequate way of responding to questions. Hon Gerry Brownlee: It is the prerogative of the House to choose. Any member in fact can decide that they do not want to support the tabling of information. This particular information is not reliable we do know about it and it has for example people living with relatives being recorded as homeless. Mr SPEAKER: I was ever hopeful that it might have been a helpful point of order. Once a member in putting forward a supplementary question decides to include some figures then it is always the option of a Minister or a Prime Minister to then dispute the question so my advice to the member is to think whether he could tighten questions up. Do not include such statistics unless they are essential to the question and at least then it does not give the opportunity for a Minister in responding to dispute the questions. On the final point raised by Mr Brownlee he is quite right. I decide whether to put the leave I put the leave and it is the prerogative of any member to then decide to decline that leave. James Shaw: How can he have confidence in his Minister for Social Housing when the number of people sleeping rough within a 3-kilometre radius of the Sky Tower has increased by 135 percent over the course of the last 3 years alone?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Government is aware that when the Auckland City Mission did its annual stocktaking those numbers were higher and that is why the Government has been having extra work done to try to support those people including greater work occurring from Ministry of Social Development officials. James Shaw: When was the last time that the Prime Minister walked down Queen Street or Lambton Quay or Colombo Street and noticed the growing number of people sleeping in shop doorways and thought to himself: This is the brighter future I promised 8 years ago."?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: As I go around New Zealand what I do see is a country that is a lot more confident in itself. I see high growth around the country and I see a lot of optimism and people benefiting from the National-led Government. I think that is why this Government has enjoyed the kind of electoral support we have. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the member wants to continue with his questions I suggest he do so. James Shaw: What is the financial cost of homelessness to the taxpayer and why has the Minister for Social Housing not done any work to quantify this?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member needs to direct that question to the Minister for Social Housing. James Shaw: When the Prime Minister told me yesterday in question time that his "Government has a comprehensive plan [on] housing and that plan is working" was Paula Bennett's sudden announcement of a $5000 payment to homeless people to move out of Auckland part of that comprehensive plan and is it working?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The $5000 payment has not started yet; it starts next week as I understand it. That would be one very very small piece in terms of support for social housing but the anecdotal feedback I have had from the Minister is that there is some encouraging evidence that people might be interested in taking up the $5000. James Shaw: Why does he say that his Government's comprehensive plan on housing is working when the numbers of people who are homeless or who live in constant fear of becoming homeless has risen by 25 percent over the 8 years of his Government?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: As I said earlier the research that the member is relying on is quite interesting research in the sense that it lists amongst other things someone who is homeless as someone who is living with a relative. I do not think that most New Zealanders would say that that is the definition of "homeless"."