10. Question No. 10—Housing (Public Housing)Hon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)Question No. 10—Housing (Public Housing)10. Hon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing): Is he confident that the Government's emergency housing policies are fit for purpose; if so why?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing)): When we came into Government we said that those in genuine need of emergency housing should come forward and they would get support. Since then we have built more State houses than any Government since the 1970s funded over 2000 Housing First places and piloted and rolled out the Sustaining Tenancies programme. Our emergency housing policies are constantly under review to ensure that vulnerable New Zealanders' needs are being adequately met. This Government inherited a housing crisis from a predecessor who refused to admit one existed.Hon Louise Upston: Who is responsible for placing families with kids into emergency housing when it was reported that houses in the scheme were without stoves and ovens and that houses were essentially building sites?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: That is an operational issue but the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) does most of the operational issues in terms of determining who gets an emergency housing Special Needs Grant placement.Hon Louise Upston: Is he saying it's acceptable for a family with children to be placed in a house without a stove or oven?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: No and that's why I've asked officials to see what work can be done around the placement process to ensure that properties are adequate for the needs of the people who are being housed. I think the member might be referring to a media report where private properties were used. That system was used between January 2018 and June of this year and was primarily used because some of the accommodation that we were supplying like motels was not adequate for larger families.Hon Louise Upston: Does he consider the taxpayer funding of up to $3000 per week for uninhabitable emergency housing good value for money and if not how much money has been spent on uninhabitable emergency housing?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: We always want to make sure that people are in appropriate housing whether it be transitional housing emergency housing or social housing. I am disappointed that on a small number of occasions when private market rentals were used some of that may have been inadequate—there are reports of it being inadequate—and that's why we've asked officials to make sure we look at the placement process to ensure that the properties are appropriate for families that use them.Hon Louise Upston: On how many occasions did this happen and how much money was spent on it?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I don't have that figure on me. What I would tell the member is that during the period where private rentals were used in Auckland only 13 percent of emergency housing Special Needs Grant people that were looked after were looked after in private market rentals—I think the figure is just a little short of 1100—and again it's disappointing to see a small number of those where some of those properties may not have been adequate.Hon Louise Upston: Was he aware that after the scheme was extended in 2018 it was reported that once a provider joined the emergency housing scheme through providing a motel or hotel it could then rent out extra rooms or houses into the scheme and that the status of those would not be checked; and if yes is the scheme working as intended?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Well as the member would know the scheme is no longer in place.Hon Louise Upston: Can he confirm whether every emergency housing provider is inspected to ensure that emergency housing places funded by MSD meet basic living conditions; and if not why not?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I repeat to the member: I've asked officials to look at the placement process to ensure that all properties are adequate for the people who are placed in those properties.