Moroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Moroney Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:669;Page:15646] 
4. 
SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does she stand by all her statements on early childhood education? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Yes. 
Sue Moroney 
: Can services now charge an optional fee to families of children accessing 20 hours’ early childhood education if they have more than 80 percent qualified staff despite her statement in Parliament on 26 October repeating her election promise that National would keep 20 hours’ early childhood education including the same fee controls? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: This Government promised that it would retain the subsidies and fee controls that make up 20 hours’ early childhood education. Those fee controls still apply. 
Sue Moroney 
: Why was the  
Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook 
 amended recently removing the fee control that prevented services from charging optional fees for providing qualified staff? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I repeat for that member: the fee controls that would have allowed centres to charge compulsory top-up fees still remain. 
Louise Upston 
: What other statements has the Minister seen about early childhood education? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I have seen one statement from an owner of nine early childhood centres who said in an email to me: “We commend you for the decisions you have made. We have spent years trying to employ fully qualified people in our centres. Some of our difficulties are now being addressed through your policy of 80 percent qualified staff in centres.” 
Sue Moroney 
: Why did a ministry official report to the sector last week that they could now charge fees for providing more than 80 percent qualified staff for children attending under the 20 hours’ early childhood education scheme? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: They have always been able to charge for that as long as the fees are optional. They cannot charge compulsory top-up fees and that has not changed. 
Sue Moroney 
: If she stands by her statement that “Quality early childhood education and care is a high priority for the Government.” will she ensure that the Prime Minister works with the Opposition to find a time for Opposition members to present the 20000 postcards that oppose the budget cuts and call for the target for 100 percent qualified and registered teachers to be reinstated? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I have no responsibility for the Prime Minister and if the Opposition members wish to speak to him I am sure he would be willing to make time for them. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was straightforward: “Will she work with the Prime Minister?” and that is not the Prime Minister’s responsibility; it is the Minister’s. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That member is normally pretty good at picking which questions to make a stand on but forgive me that question contained a fair bit of political content and it received a pretty modest answer in response. 
Sue Moroney 
: I seek leave to table a document showing the new requirements under the  
Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook 
 which shows that services can now— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: All we need to know is that the document is from the  
Early Childhood Education Funding Handbook 
. Is it? 
Sue Moroney 
: Yes. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that part of the handbook. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.