Mathers Mojo: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMathers Mojo: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 20 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16913. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.MOJO MATHERS (Green)to the Minister of Broadcasting: Does he think that television programmes made with public funds should be screened with captions so that New Zealanders with hearing loss can watch them?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Defence)on behalf of theMinister of Broadcasting: Yes where possible taking into account the fiscally constrained environment that the Government has been operating in and the technical issues faced by particular broadcasters. I note that the Government supports captioning services on free-to-view TV through New Zealand On Air with annual funding of $2.4 million for provisions of captioning services and audio description.Mojo Mathers: Should one of the conditions of New Zealand On Air funding not be that these programmes are captioned given that New Zealand On Air has funded more than $2 million worth of World War I documentaries that are being screened on Prime Television without any captions making them inaccessible for New Zealanders with a hearing loss?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That is an interesting point that the member makes but I would note that the amount of captioned programmes has increased steadily over time. There is no doubt that the Government is not able to caption everything it would like to but I think we are making very good progress and there has been considerable improvement in this area over the last decade.Mojo Mathers: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very specifically about making the public funding to produce programmes conditional on those programmes being captioned and that includes Prime Television. It does not mean that the Government has to fund it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member got a response that then addressed that question with the Minister saying that due to fiscal constraints it cannot be a condition on every programme.Mojo Mathers: How long will he let New Zealand’s woefully inadequate rates of captioning continue while other countries such as the United States and Australia will have 100 percent captioning with free-to-air television because they regulate to ensure these high levels?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I think the progress has actually been pretty good. We now caption 250 hours a week compared with 70 hours a decade ago so progress is being made all the time. I would also note that the choice of programmes captioned is made in consultation with the deaf and hearing-impaired community so we are making definite progress in this area but there is always more that can be done.Mojo Mathers: Considering that next week is Hearing Week what assurance will he give to the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders with hearing loss that public funds will not be used to pay for programmes that they cannot watch?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: What I would note is that there are 35 hours of captioned television available on free-to-air television every day which is more than one person can possibly humanly watch so I think good progress is being made.Te Ururoa Flavell: Should all programmes made with public funds also have Māori language subtitles to recognise the status of Māori language as an official language of this country; if not why not?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well that is a very interesting point but I do not believe that they should.