Turei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 21 May 2014. Volume:699;Page:18163. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to thePrime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.Metiria Turei: When the Prime Minister said that the Budget would focus on young families and those vulnerable children who most need our care what rationale did he use to exclude 60 percent of babies born into poverty from getting the parental tax credit payment?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: For a start off the $500 million package aimed at families which includes three of the five elements includes all New Zealanders. In terms of those who are on benefits there are other ways of addressing that through emergency benefits or extra supplementary payments.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was very explicit in my question: it asked for the rationale in excluding children from the parental tax credit. That was not addressed by the Prime Minister.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The difficulty was the member was not as explicit as she is now saying she was in her question. On this occasion the Prime Minister has addressed the question. But if the member wants quite a specific supplementary question the way to do it is to ask it.Metiria Turei: Can the Prime Minister confirm that according to Budget documents an overarching objective of Budget 2014 was to “increase the amount of payments made to families with newborns”; if so why did his Ministers direct officials to increase payments only for newborns whose parents had a job?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In answer to the first part of the question yes.Metiria Turei: At what point in the Budget process did he and his Ministers decide to exclude babies born to parents on benefits from additional financial support for newborns?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not have the exact timing of that.Metiria Turei: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the newborn payments are designed to help families meet the cost of having a new baby and to relieve family stress; if so what is the rationale for denying that additional financial support to a baby whose parents do not have a job?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In answer to the first part of the question yes.Metiria Turei: What advice has the Prime Minister sought or received on whether excluding the children of beneficiaries from the parental tax credit breaches the principle of treating all children in low-income families equally for all child-related tax-funded payments?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Families are treated in different types of ways depending on the support they get from the Government. Those who are on benefit are able to receive hardship assistance and many of them do.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very explicit about the advice that he had sought or received. He did not address that question at all.Mr SPEAKER: It is a marginal call but I will allow the member to ask the question again.Metiria Turei: What advice did the Prime Minister seek or receive on whether excluding the children of beneficiaries from the parental tax credit breaches the principle of treating all children in low-income families equally for all child-related tax-funded payments?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: To the best of my knowledge my office did not ask for any advice on that. The Minster for Social Development’s office would have done so and the advice it was given was that there is wide-ranging support for the people in the category she mentioned.Metiria Turei: Will the Prime Minister immediately extend eligibility to the paid parental tax credit to all New Zealand newborn children on the basis that every child born in New Zealand deserves improved life outcomes in order to meet the stated objectives of Budget 2014?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No.