3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterRt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Yes I do and I'm particularly proud about what we announced around getting our kids back into school and also driving up academic achievement. It is an absolute travesty that only 47 percent of our kids go to school regularly in this country—a legacy of the previous Government. And the consequence of that is kids are missing a year's worth of school. We're proud of our target of making sure we have 80 percent of our kids ready to go at high school so they can actually live the lives and the dreams that they want to have.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Were all aspects of this morning's announcement on truancy approved by Cabinet; if not which parts have yet to be approved?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well as I said we have an ambitious Government and that is fantastic because what we observed over the last six years was a Government that spent more borrowed more taxed more and delivered worse outcomes. Your Government had six years. You did very little; you failed at it. What we're doing is declaring nine key targets—two in the education space—we're marching hard towards it and every quarter we're going to be doing things to make sure we make progress on it.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr. Speaker. It was a pretty straight and simple question.SPEAKER: I'll call you for the point of order.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: What was that?SPEAKER: Point of order?Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Oh—point of order Mr. Speaker. It was a pretty straight and simple question and the Prime Minister has given a diatribe on the previous Government's record. He hasn't actually either answered or addressed the question that I asked him.SPEAKER: I think he could probably say something more but I think he had addressed it—the Prime Minister.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Sorry I didn't hear the—would you like to ask the question again?Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: I'm happy to repeat the question.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Yes please do.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Were all aspects of this morning's announcement on truancy approved by Cabinet; if not which parts have yet to be approved?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: As we said the announcements that we made today have been approved by Cabinet.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Have the details of the traffic light system he announced this morning been approved by Cabinet?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No. Again what the Minister announced was that was our proposal and there's more work to be done on that and that will come towards Cabinet in due course. But what is exciting is that we are a Government that is actually wanting to do something about attendance rates. We care deeply about our kids being in school so they can learn so they can achieve more.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: So how come Penny Simmonds was reprimanded—SPEAKER: Wait on wait on—wait on. Sorry. Supplementary the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: How come Penny Simmonds was reprimanded for a decision being announced that wasn't approved by Cabinet but David Seymour was allowed to make decisions that haven't been approved by Cabinet?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I mean I reject the premise of the question. We have a fantastic plan to tackle school attendance in New Zealand—something the previous administration the previous Minister for 5½ years didn't seem to care about. We care about it. We're getting our kids back to school period.Hon David Seymour: Does the Prime Minister trust his capable Ministers enough to announce details—such as the colours of the traffic light will be green yellow and red and that each colour will have differing consequences differing in severity—as I did just this morning?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Can I just say well I think we have a fantastic Associate Minister of Education who is very fixated and bringing thoughtful leadership to how we get attendance up in this country so I want to thank him for his great efforts.Hon David Seymour: Point of order point of order. Mr Speaker I seek leave to make a small correction: I'd actually said the colour was orange.SPEAKER: Yeah I'm sure that's incredibly helpful to the House.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Was either the Minister of Health or the Minister of Mental Health consulted on the proposed cuts to the Suicide Prevention Office?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well again that's not happening. What has happened is that you had the Ministry of Health say they didn't adequately brief the Minister. In a very quick period of time the Minister of Mental Health said that he wants the functions of the Suicide Prevention Office to continue. And I can tell you I have great faith in that Minister to deliver and to continue to make sure that an absolutely tragic record here in New Zealand is continuing to improve.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Was either the Minister of Health or the Minister of Mental Health consulted on the proposed cuts to the Suicide Prevention Office?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Again you heard the public comments where the Ministry of Health said that they did not adequately brief the Minister. The Minister directed very clearly that he expects that function of the Suicide Prevention Office to continue and it will.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Well does he agree with Matt Doocey I'm responsible for the $2.5 billion that we spend for mental health and addiction ring-fenced funding—I'm going line by line by line by line through that"; and if so how did the Suicide Prevention Office almost close without its Minister even noticing?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Again I've addressed the question. The Ministry of Health said that they did not adequately brief the Minister. And the Minister made it very clear that he expects the functions of the Suicide Prevention Office to continue.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is the reason that the Suicide Prevention Office was being considered for closure because his Government is requiring the Ministry of Health to cut 6½ percent of its funding?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: We're going to see a further increase in spending on healthcare. But what we are not tolerating is what that member did with his Government for six years which is he didn't actually—Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: We're moving money from the back office—SPEAKER: I note the point of order—point of order.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Mr Speaker almost every question that I've asked the Prime Minister today he's resorted to an attack on the previous Government without actually answering what are relatively direct questions on his Government's and decisions. The cutting of the Suicide Prevention Office is not a non-controversial matter. The questions that I've asked have been very straight questions I don't think it's too much to ask that the Prime Minister takes them seriously and gives serious answers to them.SPEAKER: Well I think he has given serious answers—if I'm listening to them. But I would also say to you that it is not inappropriate for Ministers to refer to programmes of a previous Government. The difficulty comes where that reference becomes an attack and I'd ask that all Ministers including the Prime Minister think carefully about those comments in an answer. Prime Minister. Oh—are you finished?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I'm finished yeah.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Well I'm waiting for him to answer that question.SPEAKER: Yeah—ask the question again.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is the reason the Suicide Prevention Office is being considered for closure that his Government are requiring the Ministry of Health to cut 6½ percent of its spending?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: The Suicide Prevention Office is not being considered for closure."