Salesa JennyHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National): I would point out it's not our time that's being cut into; it's the Government's time because we haven't been able to use ours yet. And if I'm restricted to one it will simply be this. In answer to written question 2920 on options including delaying the census—sorry around the discussions around a possibility of a delay to the census—the Minister did say that those discussions were taking place. But he refused to answer a question later on at question 2924 about whether he had asked for a Cabinet paper to be prepared on the subject of Census 2023. He said it wasn't in the public interest to disclose the information at this time. I think it's very much in the public interest to know whether the Government has seriously considered a delay to the next census until 2024. Has he asked for advice from officials and does he intend to take a Cabinet paper in the next few months with a recommendation on whether Census 2023 should be delayed?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Statistics): Thank you Madam Speaker. What I would say is that Stats New Zealand continues to prepare for Census 2023. That is the aim to deliver that census. As the member will be aware with a global pandemic on there is consideration given of course as to whether there is a need to delay the census because the tests that were intended to be undertaken have not all been able to be undertaken to date in terms of new methodologies for collecting these statistics. Having said that the existing testing does seem to be working very well. I'm assured that the alternative testing methods that have been trialled to try and gain as much information as possible from populations that returned statistics and census data at a lower rate than last time have been successful and that includes better quantitative analysis stakeholder and community engagement market research focus groups other methods of trying to assess the collection methods that are proposed and international peer review of the approaches that are being taken.I'm trying to be helpful to the member but I would say that you know it's my expectation that we'll build a contingency into the Data and Statistics Bill to allow for a delay of census if it should be required. At this stage Statistics New Zealand is on track to complete the census as planned but some communities have not yet been ready to engage fully with the census process including Māori communities who have been very much occupied with looking after their people through a global pandemic. I'm mindful of that but these things still lie ahead of us.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Madam Chair?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): The Hon Michael Woodhouse we are actually out of time in terms of what was determined at the Business Committee—for 30 minutes.Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National): Point of order Madam Chair. During the Minister's answer the whip in the chair has been liaising with the clerks to ascertain that there was actually when I started the intervention eight minutes to go in this Minister's time and just under five minutes when he finished. I'll relinquish and we will change but I do think it behoves the committee to make sure that there's I think a better synchronicity of what's actually happening and how much time is available because it's a pretty unfulfilling process if we run out of time that we thought we had.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): It really is up to the Opposition deciding whether you cut into the Minister of Education's time.