Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 28 November 2012. Volume:686;Page:6851. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement on rheumatic fever that “Tackling this disease is something I am personally championing. It’s so important to achieve results in this area that I’ve made it one of our top 10 results areas”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes that is why I am taking on rheumatic fever as part of my Better Public Services challenge to support vulnerable children and that is why the National Government with the Maori Party is spending $24 million targeting at-risk children in eight of our most vulnerable areas. Can I say that one of the shocking statistics I have is that this Third World disease had an increase in the rates of youngsters who were subject to rheumatic fever in the period of time under the past Labour Government. 
David Shearer 
: Does he stand by his statement that rheumatic fever is often put down to inadequate housing; if so what has he done to ensure that rental accommodation is warm and dry? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes and I am surprised that the member has the shame of asking that question. It certainly applies that if you have warmer drier homes it is less likely a child will get rheumatic fever. In fact a child who lives in a cold overcrowded home is likely to get rheumatic fever at 20 to 37 times the usual rate. So let us have a think about the insulation under a National Government because in the last 4 years this Government has insulated 188500 homes. Let us compare it with the previous Labour Government which insulated 4000. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! It would be now be quite helpful were the Prime Minister to actually answer the question because the question asked what had been done to improve the conditions of rental properties. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I am sorry. I should have started with that point. I am pleased to say that under this Government by the end of 2013 every Housing New Zealand Corporation State home will be insulated—something that Labour Government failed to do. 
David Shearer 
: Is he aware that only 5 percent of rental property owners—5 percent—have taken up the Warm Up New Zealand scheme and what is he going to do about that? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I do not have all of those details but what I can say is that there are plenty of low-income New Zealanders who own their home who have had their homes insulated—plenty of low-income homes—so the test is not just rental. And by the way if the member wants to make it even more expensive and even worse for those people well put a capital gains tax on and they will have their rents going up as well. 
David Shearer 
: Why will he not require all landlords to provide rental housing that is warm and dry to ensure that New Zealand children are no longer vulnerable to Third World diseases such as rheumatic fever? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The Government is interested in trying to encourage those who are landlords to insulate their homes. That is why we have put $360 million into an insulation programme. That is why we are insulating every State house under our watch. This question is coming from a party that had 9 years and plenty of surpluses and did nothing. 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a pretty straight question about what he would do about landlords providing warm and dry housing. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: What’s the point? There’s no point of order in that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Leader of the House should know better than to interject—[ 
Interruption 
]—and he compounds the problem when I am on my feet. The member asking the question did ask a straight question: what was being done with respect specifically to rental accommodation? OK that does include obviously State houses as well. I think this is a topic where there is some passion around the issues but the House has to be reasonable about it. The Prime Minister gave some answer. Admittedly it went on I think longer than necessary and it attacked the questioner more than was necessary but I think the member has further supplementary questions to pursue the issue further. 
David Shearer 
: What specifically will he do to ensure that landlords are able to provide warm and dry housing so that we will not have the incidence of rheumatic fever that we are seeing in New Zealand at the moment? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Two things. Firstly the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart campaign is being more heavily redefined to low-income New Zealanders particularly those who are renting. Secondly every State house under our watch will be insulated by 2013. Thirdly although it is not directly to do with landlords this is a Government that is out there running significant programmes right across New Zealand schools to the point where at the moment there are 23000 children covered by the 139 schools. I say that these are all the things that this National Government has done in the tightest of economic times and that previous Government did zero. 
David Shearer 
: Will he take action to ensure that the 95 percent of private rentals that do not provide warm and dry housing actually do that? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Firstly the member cannot make the statement that 95 percent are not insulated. 
Hon Members 
: Yes he can. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well how would you know whether they are insulated or not? Secondly what the Government is doing is a proper programme of dealing with the issue in schools it is doing a proper programme in terms of insulation and it is actually doing something about it. This is the Leader of the Opposition who has got amnesia about the failure of that Government. It spent lots of money on its own advertising campaigns and not a hell of a lot on vulnerable kids. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seek leave of the House to introduce the Green Party’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation (Warm Healthy Rentals Warrant of Fitness) Amendment Bill for its first reading on the next members’ day. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought for that course of action to be followed. Is there any objection? There is objection.