Shaw James: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShaw James: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 08 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6297. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement to this House in June of this year that “The Government still has an open mind on that quota number”?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Immigration): Yes.James Shaw: If his Government does have an open mind why did it vote down the Green Party’s bill and stop public consultation on the refugee quota at the select committee?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I am not aware that there has been any shutting down of consultation at the select committee—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister has no responsibility for that. I would ask you to just reflect very carefully on it because it was the Parliament that actually denied the Green Party’s bill not the Minister.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. There is an issue I think about the second part of the question—being a decision in the select committee. I did not quite catch the question but I am ruling that the question is in order and is quite capable of being answered by the Minister. Does the Minister wish to have the question repeated? Would James Shaw please repeat the question for the benefit of the Minister.James Shaw: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I noticed that the Minister himself did actually object to—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I appreciate the point that the member is making but that is not going to help the order of the House. The supplementary question I will rule is in order. I will allow the member now to ask it again and I will allow the Minister then to answer the question.James Shaw: If his Government has such an open mind why did he vote down the Green Party’s bill and stop public consultation on the refugee quota at the select committee?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Although I have no responsibility for either of those things I am aware that the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee is hearing four submissions on that very issue this week.James Shaw: How can New Zealanders trust the National Government to increase the quota when John Key has already said in relation to the existing 750 cap that “We believe that that’s the right number for us.”?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: The public can trust the Government to redouble its efforts to ensure that the quota refugees we do take are well settled. The data I have seen is that there is despite very good examples of strong settlement amongst the quota refugees an unacceptably high number who are not doing well after they settle here and that is the Government’s focus.James Shaw: Why should the public trust the National Government to increase the refugee quota in a meaningful long-term way when as late as last week it refused to even consider an emergency quota and in the past has lobbied to cut the number of refugees that New Zealand takes?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: The member has something of a fixation on the quota and on the number 750. I remind the House that that is one part of the Government’s humanitarian response including another 300 places in family reunion the 250 or so convention refugees who are granted asylum every year and the emergency places that have been announced this week. In addition to significant other humanitarian contributions on top of the $15 million that the Government has already provided to assist the Turkish Government in supporting refugees on its border another $4.5 million was announced this week and I think that is a very very good contribution above the 750.James Shaw: So does he believe that New Zealand is doing its fair share given that since National was elected in 2008 we have slipped from 83rd in the world to 90th in the world for taking on refugeesper capita?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: The member is fixated on the quota so I will give him the numbers on quota. Of the 193 UN countries only 22 of them take quota refugees. New Zealand ranks about sixth or seventh on that list and I think we can be very very proud of that record.James Shaw: Does he believe that New Zealand is doing its fair share when we have not increased our quota since 1987?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: For the reasons that I outlined two supplementary questions ago yes.James Shaw: So given that the Minister’s office was already advised on increasing the quota when it was last reviewed in 2013 and there has not been an increase for the last 3 years why does the Government need to do another review?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Well because in the absence of a review nothing would change. We are going to review that quota next year as we have set out and that is what the Government will do.