7. Question No. 7—Housing (Public Housing)NICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)Question No. 7—Housing (Public Housing)7. NICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Does she agree with the Salvation Army's social housing director that housing will continue to get worse for at least the next 12 to 18 months and that the social housing waiting list will grow longer still?Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)): I agree with the Salvation Army that we've seen increases in the waiting list because the Government has placed a strong emphasis on people coming forward and telling us that they need housing support and we're doing everything we can to get a roof over their heads. This may continue in the short term; however our Government is exceeding its targets to increase public housing supply and we're on track to fund and deliver over 18000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024.Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that in the past month the Government built 150 public houses while in that same period the State house waiting list grew by 1030 and does she think it's acceptable that people on the social housing waiting list will now wait an average of 240 days to be housed?SPEAKER: The member can answer any one of those three supplementary questions.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Thank you Mr Speaker. What I can confirm is that we would love to move people off the waiting list as fast as we can and if the previous Government had built houses at the rate that we have the waiting list would be much shorter.Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that in the past quarter the Government spent more than a million dollars a day on putting people up in motels and how many houses could be built for that money?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Can I just say two things: firstly emergency housing is not within my delegation and emergency housing started under the National Party.Nicola Willis: Can she confirm that the social housing waiting list is now more than three times as large as when Labour came into Government?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: This Government is investing billions in building public housing as well as infrastructure to encourage more housing developments. We're on track to fund and deliver 18000 new public and transitional housing places by 2024—Hon Kris Faafoi: Who sold the houses?SPEAKER: Order! Order! Order! The member will resume her seat. I think there's a slight tendency to try and yell over the top of this Minister but I want to say to Kris Faafoi it's not helped by him winding up people opposite.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Thank you Mr Speaker. Can I say that when we came into office three years ago National had decimated the State housing stock. This Government has already delivered 6000 additional public houses since we came into office and we're investing in 18000 more homes by 2024.Nicola Willis: Point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very specific and I put to you that the Minister did not address it.SPEAKER: Well I have no idea whether the Minister addressed it and it was caused by her colleagues yelling.Hon Chris Hipkins: Has this Government purged thousands of people off the State housing waiting list by deleting entire categories on the waiting list as the previous Government did? Hon POTO WILLIAMS: No we have not.Nicola Willis: What does she say to the more than 20000 New Zealanders and their families who will spend this Christmas on the social housing waiting list unable to afford a home and with urgent unmet housing—SPEAKER: Order! The member's completed her question.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What I can say to those families is that we are working at pace to build thousands and thousands of public houses and we will do so. Nicola Willis: If the Government's policy is not to sell State houses then why does the Kāinga Ora website state that in order to help fund its work it makes sense that we look to sell some properties" and "Properties may be sold for a variety of reasons"?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Can I say that National sold—Chris Bishop: Good question.SPEAKER: Order!Hon POTO WILLIAMS: —6000 State houses. I am advised—Chris Bishop: Why does the website say that?SPEAKER: Order! Order! I just want to ask that member to stop shouting down members on the front bench opposite.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Thank you Mr Speaker. Can I say that National sold 6000 State houses and I am advised that we have sold 181; 40 percent of those to tenants.Hon Michael Woodhouse: A point of order Mr Speaker. I understand that the answers are being heard against a very loud background but it's not helped the order of the House when the Minister continues successive answers to questions that refer to the National Party. Now I can't find the relevant Speaker's ruling but it does sound repetitive and unconnected with the question.Hon Chris Hipkins: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker. If you look at the nature of the questions that are being asked they are often very broad questions that themselves don't comply with the Standing Orders.SPEAKER: Well thank you for the criticism from both sides. At least I may be slightly even-handed in my allowing too much to occur and I am being too kind. I will say however that an answer that there's not enough houses because they were sold is in order."