1. Question No. 1 —Prime MinisterHon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1 —Prime Minister1. Hon PAULA BENNETT (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and statements?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti) on behalf of the Prime Minister: On behalf of the Prime Minister yes—in particular the agreement by Cabinet this week to seek public feedback on a plan to further strengthen gun laws to improve public safety through the introduction of firearm prohibition orders to keep guns out of the hands of gang members. The proposal we are putting up would see the police given new powers through FPOs as they're sometimes known to ensure that the people in our communities who pose the most threat to our loved ones come nowhere near firearms. Hon Paula Bennett: In the year of delivery why have seven of nine child poverty measures worsened? Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I don't actually agree with the member's assertion. What this Government has inherited is nine years of neglect where we have had to work very hard to turn around the poor outcomes for New Zealanders all across the country.Hon Paula Bennett: When she said in the Speech from the Throne that no one should have to live in a"—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Let's rephrase that.Hon Paula Bennett: When she said in the Speech from the Throne—no?SPEAKER: No she didn't say the Speech from the Throne.Hon Paula Bennett: When the speech was read on her behalf in the Speech from the Throne—you're still not happy sir?—SPEAKER: Well I wouldn't describe myself as happy but tolerant today.Hon Paula Bennett: —"no one should have to live in a car or on the street. … No child should be experiencing poverty." should her Government have done more on these issues in the year of delivery?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: As I said we have inherited a terrible situation after nine years of neglect. No child should have to live in cars. None of the things that she has described now are correct in this day and age in 21st century New Zealand. We are working hard to turn around those nine years of neglect so that children don't live in cars so that people do have excellent outcomes in their lives.Hon Paula Bennett: Are there more people homeless in New Zealand today than there were two years ago?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I don't have that specific information in front of me and if the member would like to put it in writing I'm sure we'll be able to provide her an answer.Hon Paula Bennett: Why has the Government failed to deliver in the year of delivery by not achieving 100 percent qualified early childhood education teachers as they promised?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: It's quite simple: the term of Government is not over yet.Hon Paula Bennett: Why in the year of delivery has the Government failed to deliver—SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I mean I've let it go I think three or four times now—no extraneous material like there's something in brackets there.Hon Paula Bennett: Why has the Government failed to deliver a surgical mesh register that they promised in the year of delivery?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: On behalf the Prime Minister I refer the member to my last answer.Hon Paula Bennett: Why has the Government failed to increase the age of breast screening to 74 when they promised it and in this year of delivery?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: On behalf of the Prime Minister ditto to the last answer.Hon Paula Bennett: Why has she failed to reduce the gender pay gap when she made promises to reduce it in the year of delivery?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I reject the premise of that question.Hon Paula Bennett: Why haven't any new roading projects been delivered in the Waikato and have they not been started almost a year after it was announced that there would be 219 kilometres of upgrades?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: This Government is spending more than ever before in the Waikato and across the country. Of course our biggest objective is to make sure that our roads are safe and we know that they funded ghost roads—sorry they didn't fund ghost roads; they promised roads there was no funding and when they did build a road it was the most expensive road in the history of the universe.Hon Paula Bennett: Are the only things that she has been able to deliver an increase in homelessness an increase of people on jobseeker support and babies on the side of the road?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: No. We have made massive improvements in a number of things: big investments in mental health so people can get help at their local GP; we've provided more addiction treatment beds and services; we've funded new cancer treatment equipment like radiation machines and new cancer drugs; we've started to clean up our rivers by supporting farmers to fence waterways and plant trees; we've increased school funding so parents don't have to pay for school donations—SPEAKER: Order! I know it was an Opposition question but the Minister shouldn't treat it as a patsy. Sorry before we go on while I have interrupted it's been drawn to my attention that members may have been videoing on their phones other members just before I came into the House. I want to make it absolutely clear if that was the case that they're not to be published.Hon Paula Bennett: Instead of referring to this as the year of delivery shouldn't the Labour-led Government have called this the year of broken promises? SPEAKER: No no. Sit down. That's an ironic question. Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I waited until the end of that range of questions just to check with you whether in ruling out part of a preamble to the Hon Paula Bennett's questions it was in breach of Standing Order 380(1)(b). Can I also draw your attention to Standing Order 386(2)(b) which the Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister also included either epithets or ironical expressions in his answers—things like "ghost roads" and "nine years of neglect". SPEAKER: Which category does the member place those under? Hon Michael Woodhouse: Well it would be the same category that you yourself have ruled out Ms Bennett's initial question. I just—SPEAKER: No no. The reason I ruled out part of Ms Bennett's question and probably not early enough was that she was putting in her question unnecessary material. Hon Michael Woodhouse: Speaking to that point my point is exactly that—that either the Minister has no responsibility for the part of the answers that he made or that material is unnecessary. Either way I would just draw your attention to a potential inconsistency. SPEAKER: Well I understand what the member is trying to say and I will reiterate the comments made by at least my two immediate predecessors and that is that when members ask very broad initial questions there are two things that flow from that: one they cannot expect specific detailed responses; and secondly it opens up to the Minister the ability to give very broad replies as part of that questioning and supplementary flow. That's what happened on this occasion."