Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 14 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17819. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Leader of the Opposition) to thePrime Minister: Has his Government delivered on his expectation of a “more equal society” and as a result is “every one of our children getting the very best start to life”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): What I actually said in relation to the first quote was the following: “We would prefer that we were a more equal society with less inequality but what the report actually goes on to quite clearly demonstrate is that the vast bulk of the changes that have taken place is due to the global financial crisis. Fortunately this Government has an economic plan that is seeing the economy grow and enabling people to get into work. This Government is focused on welfare reforms to get people into work. This Government has been quite prepared to put up over $350 million to insulate homes in New Zealand. This Government has supported under-6-year-olds to get free doctors’ visits. This Government has supported making sure we reduce rheumatic fever.” and so on. Quite plainly not every child is getting the best start to life which is why we are doing these things that I mentioned.Hon David Cunliffe: Why have recorded offences of violence sexual assaults and neglect of children risen 68 percent on that Prime Minister’s watch and incidentally what is his Government doing to bring back our girls?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In relation to the last part I made it quite clear that the Government is deeply concerned by the actions of Boko Haram. That is one of the reasons that the Government listed Boko Haram as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Suppression Act.Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In the part of the question that the Prime Minister chose to answer I am afraid he did not answer it. I asked what his Government was doing to bring back our girls. If listing Boko Haram was the sum total—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is actually questionable whether the second part of the question should have been allowed in relation to the primary question but I let it through. The Prime Minister has addressed that question. [Interruption] Order! Again I am on my feet. That may well be the opinion of the member but the way I am going to advance the issue now is to ask for further incisive supplementary questions.Hon David Cunliffe: Plain and simple will the Budget tomorrow lift the 285000 New Zealand children currently living in poverty out of it?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: We do not agree with that number of 285000.Hon David Cunliffe: Would the Prime Minister care to tell the House how many New Zealand children are living in poverty and whether his Budget will do anything to help them?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not have the most accurate number on me but I know it is below 285000.Tim Macindoe: Has the Prime Minister seen any independent assessment of social outcomes in New Zealand?Sue Moroney: Salvation Army.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes that is absolutely right. I have recently seen a quite sobering assessment that says: “The social outcomes which we as New Zealanders have achieved over the past five years are somewhat mixed and in some areas quite disappointing. More of our children appear to be at risk of harm more of our young people are engaged in petty crime there is more violent crime and more people in our jails. … While more New Zealanders are working than ever before … our incomes have risen only modestly we are chronically indebted and home ownership rates have fallen. … What is perhaps most disappointing about these results is that as a country we have invested hugely in the core areas of social spending over the past five years. … While this social spending is essential it seems to have contributed very little to our social progress.” It was incredibly damning reading that I read from the Salvation Army in its state of the nation report. Oh yes and that was the report from 2008.Hon David Cunliffe: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the Salvation Army’s social report this year gave his Government a D for child poverty?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: What I can confirm is that the report gave a much rosier picture of New Zealand.Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I do not need assistance. I invite the member to ask the question again.Hon David Cunliffe: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the current year’s Salvation Army’s social report gave his Government a D for child poverty?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: It may well have but it also gave us a vastly improved report in many categories and a far better assessment than the last 5 years of the Labour Government. Yes what this report says in 2008 was the failure—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has now been answered.Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In light of your previous ruling where you generously afforded me the opportunity to repeat the question because it was not adequately answered—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just get to the point please.Hon David Cunliffe: I ask your leave to ask the question again because the Prime Minister seems to be confused between a maybe and—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I gave the opportunity for the member to ask the question again. He did it was answered very quickly by the Prime Minister and then there was some additional information which I thought might have been helpful to the House. When I realised it was not actually going to inform the House I then asked the Prime Minister to cease.Hon David Cunliffe: Could the Prime Minister inform the House why more than 40000 children have been hospitalised in New Zealand for diseases of poverty since 2008?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: There will be a variety of reasons but what I can confirm though is that this Government has spent more money on rheumatic fever prevention than any Government prior to it. This Government has spent more money insulating homes than before. This Government borrowed billions of dollars to supportprogrammes like Working for Families for the most at-risk New Zealanders. This Government has spent money to insulate well over 340000 homes. The Government has done a lot in that particular area.Hon David Cunliffe: Is the Prime Minister comfortable that on his watch the income of the top 1 percent of New Zealanders has risen nearly 10 times faster than the bottom 10 percent?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I reject the assertion.