Martin Tracey: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMartin Tracey: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:10013. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.TRACEY MARTIN (NZ First) to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Yes.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statement on Newstalk ZB on 26 November 2015 that “No I am not set on my decision. It is an interim decision” with regard to Redcliffs School and can she give an assurance that the final submission by Redcliffs School due tomorrow will be considered with an open mind?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statements of 16 March 2016 endorsing the Intensive Wraparound Service as a lifesaver for special needs students when only 28 of the 335 students supported by the Intensive Wraparound Service were included in the last Ministry of Education review and of those only 10 are predicted to have sufficient resources available to ensure they can stay in school?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes I stand by the statement I actually made which was in reference to the report of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research not the ministry’s and I was quoting a parent who stated that she considered it a lifesaver for her child.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statement on Newstalk ZB on Friday 12 February 2016 that “the ministry makes the decisions on whether or not statutory intervention has to occur.”?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Yes.Tracey Martin: I seek leave to table a document released under the Official Information Act showing Minister Parata signing off on the decision to dissolve the board and appoint the commissioner at Rangiora High School dated 11 February 2015.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Tracey Martin: Does she stand by her statement on Newstalk ZB on Friday 12 February 2016: “We don’t have anyone gagged” with reference to Rangiora High School?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I will have to take the member at her word that she has scrutinised these transcripts but that would be true yes.Tracey Martin: I seek leave to table a letter from the commissioner of Rangiora High School dated 12 February 2015 to the then principal Peggy Burrows effectively gagging her.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The last part—[Interruption] Order! I would have put the leave until the last part was added; it was totally unnecessary. That is an interpretation—[Interruption] Order! That is an interpretation by the member which was not necessary.Chris Hipkins: Does she stand by all of her statements regarding the sufficiency of National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy requirements given that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority is currently proposing that eight credits of the 10 literacy credits required for NCEA level 2 could be met by getting a driver’s licence?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I do and to be clear about those eight credits two are at NCEA level 1 for the written test four are at NCEA level 2 for the restricted and two are at NCEA level 2 for a full licence. They are based on literacy requirements relevant to each of those stages of the driver’s licence.Chris Hipkins: Can she confirm that the only literacy requirement for all three levels of a driver’s licence is a 35-question picture-based multi-choice test; if so how can she possibly claim that completing that test demonstrates almost all of the literacy skills required for further study or the workplace?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No to the first part of the question but can I say that the member’s unhappiness that this Government is actually doing stuff that his party has promised but never delivered is driving his angst.