Dean Jacqui: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDean Jacqui: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 16 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:13925. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) to theMinister of Statistics: What does the latest release of Census data show in regard to population growth in the regions?Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister of Statistics): The information released this week from Statistics New Zealand shows that all but one region grew in size of population since the last census in 2006. This shows that the Government is delivering on its priority to develop a stronger economy. The data released is a far cry from the Hon DavidCunliffe’s inept prediction—Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would like to draw your attention to the Speakers’ Rulings supplement page 8 Speaker’s ruling 154/2A made by the Hon Dr Lockwood Smith on 13 November last year in which he ruled that “It is not reasonable to use questions from the governing party or its support parties to attack other members of the House.” which is exactly what this question is designed to do. A Minister cannot use a patsy question from—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. I accept the bulk of the point of order being made. The answer was satisfactory until the Minister attempted to revert back to something that was under a previous administration which was not his responsibility.Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON: I was actually referring to a statement from the Leader of the Opposition from last week.Mr SPEAKER: That is not helpful as I have just ruled.Jacqui Dean: Which regions in particular have grown the most?Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON: The Auckland and Nelson regions both grew by more than 8 percent followed by the Waikato with 6 percent. That was nearly 23000people so it is huge. Waikato was in fact again one of the areas highlighted by MrCunliffe’s press release where he said that Taranaki was not growing.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In his answer the Minister has now directly challenged the ruling you had just made. A moment ago you asked my colleague Clayton Cosgrove to withdraw and apologise and then threw him out of the Chamber without giving a reason. The Minister has directly challenged—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat otherwise he will be accompanying Mr Cosgrove shortly. I think the Minister made a fair point though. He was not referring to a previous administration; he was actually referring to a relatively recent statement by an Opposition member. I was possibly a bit hard on him the first time but I think the question has now been adequately answered.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Is this a fresh point of order?Chris Hipkins: It is indeed a fresh point of order. Perhaps if I could go back to the Speaker’s ruling that I first referred to.Mr SPEAKER: Can I just check that this is a fresh point of order.Chris Hipkins: Absolutely. It is Speaker’s ruling 154/2A. I appreciate that you might not have it in front of you so you might not have acknowledged it. What it says is: “It is not reasonable to use questions from the governing party or its support parties to attack other members of the House.” There is a further Speaker’s ruling immediately after that which says: “Ministers should not bring another political party which has not been involved in the questioning into an answer.” In this case this is a Government question to a Government Minister. The Labour Party has had no role in this question. It does not matter whether it was an action of the previous Government or a statement that David Cunliffe has made recently. The Minister has no responsibility for it. We are not a party to this question.Mr SPEAKER: I have accepted the point the member has made and the question is now concluded. This is a debating chamber. Consider the questions that are being asked today right across the Chamber. Many of them are very loaded questions. If you want a sterile environment with short sharp crisp questions with no opinion at all and answers accordingly I can work to deliver that but I do not think it would be in the interests of this Parliament. It certainly would not be in the interests of New Zealand democracy.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is the last point of order that I will raise on the matter. I absolutely accept that where members of the Opposition ask questions that are political in nature the Government has the right to attack back in a political fashion. The issue at question here is that this is not a question that the Opposition is in any way a party to.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is now just repeating the point of order he has already made and I have ruled on it.Chris Hipkins: So are you ruling that these are now out of order?Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Does Chris Hipkins also want to take an early shower? Well then I suggest that he stops interjecting.