7. Question No. 7—TransportCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 7—Transport7. CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of Transport: What will the percentage increase in the fuel excise duty and accompanying road-user charges be on Monday 1 July and what will be the total revenue raised from this increase?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): The increase in fuel excise and road-user charges is funding road safety improvements to save lives and much-needed infrastructure to get our cities and regions moving. Both fuel excise duty and road-user charges will increase by 5.55 percent on 1 July 2019. I'm advised that the changes are estimated to raise over the 2019-20 financial year $106 million in petrol excise duty and $89 million in road-user charges.Chris Bishop: Why after legislating to collect $1.5 billion of extra revenue are councils around the country being told that previously committed projects are in doubt and are making comments such as that of councillor Pauline Cotter We are all set to go we're shovel-ready. They have gone out and made these promises and then pulled out the rug from under us … it's pretty gutting really."?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I reject the premise of the member's question. There are no cases of councils being told that previously committed projects have been cut. What has happened is that the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) have updated councils on programming in the three-year National Land Transport Fund. They've given councils a very clear reading of which projects have already been approved which are likely to be approved and which projects are unlikely to be approved. The fact of the matter is that there is more money being spent on transport in this National Land Transport Programme than ever before—a very significant increase on the former National Government's spending on transport. And I'll say this: outside of the six major urban centres in this three-year period we are spending more than $700 million more on roads in regional New Zealand.Chris Bishop: Why does he say that councils are not being told that previously committed projects have been delayed or cancelled when State Highway 58 safety improvements which the Minister trumpeted in a press release only a year ago have been delayed?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: As part of the NZTA's mid-term update to councils they've gone round councils one by one and given them an accurate reading on what will be funded in this three-year term. There have been no projects that were previously approved that have been cut and that is the fact.Chris Bishop: Why can the New Zealand Transport Agency not tell Auckland Transport which projects in the Auckland Transport Alignment Project will be funded and which ones won't be?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Because it's a 10-year $28 billion programme—the Auckland Transport Alignment Project. We're only in the first year of it. The programme is evolving as we go—it's a constant work in progress—and I'll say this to the member: I will not do what the former transport Minister Simon Bridges did and leave a $5.9 billion hole in the Auckland Transport budget.Angie Warren-Clark: What was the percentage increase in the fuel excise duty and accompanying road-user charges over the 2008 to 2017 period and how much revenue was raised?SPEAKER: Order! No responsibility.Chris Bishop: Was Julie Anne Genter correct when she told the transport committee last week that the East-West Link in Auckland is not progressing?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: The East-West Link project in east Auckland has been under review. The NZTA has produced an alternative package of investments intended to take advantage of the $800 million which is earmarked for that project in this National Land Transport Plan. The business case and the design work is under way and engagement with stakeholders is about to begin.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could it possibly be that some councils are confused because a certain party has a hoarding—namely on State Highway 1 north of Wellsford—claiming that the Labour Party has stopped a four-lane highway development when in fact not one cent had ever been set aside by the previous Government?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I thank the member for that question. There's no doubt that community expectations have been confused by the fact that the former Government promised $10 billion worth of motorways without any ability to fund them and in fact officials told them before the last election that those promises would have required an 8c per litre increase in the fuel excise duty.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I waited till the end of the exchange but I can't see how on earth the Minister has any responsibility for the subject matter of that question.SPEAKER: I can deal with it fairly easily: I was relatively flexible with Chris Bishop when he talked about confusion on the part of councils around funding for projects. That was exactly the same type of question. I agree with the member that there's marginal responsibility for it—but about the same amount."