Lee Melissa: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 May 2014. Volume:698;Page:17745. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.MELISSA LEE (National) to theMinister for Social Development: What recent announcements has she made about helping parents deal with the nits epidemic?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development): There are some odd days in Parliament. Thanks to nearly $1 million in Government funding KidsCan will be putting special chairs in 117 low-decile schools and then funding combs treatments and specialist nit-busters—Hon Annette King: What a nitwit policy this is.Hon PAULA BENNETT: I cannot hear you. Spit it out. Come on. What is your problem?Mr SPEAKER: Order! That just shows the difficulty we get into with this constant barrage of interjection coming across the floor. Would the Minister please complete her answer.Hon PAULA BENNETT: Sorry Mr Speaker. So we have got 117 low-decile schools and then funding for combs treatments and specialist nit-busters to treat the kids for nits. Kids will be treated as many times as they need to be treated to get rid of their nits and their parents and siblings can also get treated in order to eradicate the pests from the whole family if necessary.Melissa Lee: Why is treating nits so important?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is more than just a hassle. It is more than just a hassle. Some children are getting serious infections due to untreated nits which can require hospital treatment. I heard the story last week of two young 6-year-old girls who actually had their heads shaved just to get rid of them. This new programme will reach24000 children and their families and will go a long way to helping those low-income families.Sue Moroney: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In the answer to that question the name Judith Collins never came up once. The Minister is—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member please learn a bit about the Standing Orders. That is not a legitimate point of order.Melissa Lee: What kind of response has she had to the announcement?Hon PAULA BENNETT: What I get are constant cries that we are not helping out those lower-income people who actually have got real problems and this is a problem where we are helping. Labour now does not like it yet a week ago we were not doing enough to help those people. We have had a fantastic response from parents. We have had a fantastic response from beneficiaries who want to become nit-busters. We keep hearing from hairdressers. Schools are lining up to get this initiative into their school. If anything we are getting a cry for it to go wider.Sue Moroney: Why is the Minister trumpeting this nitwit policy which required Russell School to rip out a disabled access toilet to install the nit chair she used as a publicity stunt which is funded from money she took from the food in schools funding which was not even discussed with schools as something they wanted and in which she hopes the nitpicking will be done by beneficiaries?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well to address that schools have actually been crying out for assistance to work with those low-income families. They do see it as an epidemic. In regard to the disabled toilet there is another disabled toilet at the school and neither has been used for more than 8 years. Actually the member should listen to families out there who are embracing this initiative and if anything would like it to be going wider.