6. Question No. 6—Economic DevelopmentHon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister for Economic DevelopmentQuestion No. 6—Economic Development6. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura) to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he stand by his statement of 1 April 2020 The Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic"; if so when does he expect to announce those projects?Hon DAVID PARKER (Associate Minister of Finance) on behalf of the Minister for Economic Development: On behalf of the Minister for Economic Development yes. To the second part of the question announcement time frames for each project are a matter for the appropriate responsible Minister.Hon Judith Collins: How does he reconcile his statement that the projects would be "ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal" with the fact that the construction industry started returning to work on April 28 but the projects still have not been announced?Hon DAVID PARKER: I refer the member to the Budget recently debated which showed that under Budget 2020 Crown infrastructure investment is forecast to be $10.9 billion which is about 175 percent of what it was in 2017 under the last Government.SPEAKER: I am going to ask the Minister to address the question.Hon DAVID PARKER: Well as I said in my answer that I just gave the member can be very confident that there is significantly increased infrastructure expenditure as evidenced by the Budget debate that we have had in recent weeks which showed that $10.9 billion of infrastructure expenditure by the Crown is forecast for the current year which is 175 percent of what it was in 2017.SPEAKER: I'm going to ask the Hon Judith Collins to ask the question again.Hon Judith Collins: Thank you Mr Speaker. How does he reconcile his statement that the projects would be "ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal" with the fact that the construction industry started returning to work on 28 April and the projects still have not been announced?Hon DAVID PARKER: In addition to my prior answer I would also note that the Minister of Education advised the Minister for Economic Development that construction has already started on approximately 200 rebuilds or expansions with a combined value of $1.5 billion. He also advised me that at the end of May around 1200 schools had initiated projects worth an estimated $130 million since that investment package was announced.Hon Judith Collins: Does he think the Government is acting with sufficient urgency to announce these projects—other than that which he's just announced now—given that the fall in construction was the biggest contributor to the decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year?Hon DAVID PARKER: Yes and by way of other examples since lockdown the following transport projects have started construction: the Clive safety improvements to State Highway 51 upgrades to the Northland line preparatory works for the Matakana link road the Huapai to Waimauku safety improvements the Medallion Drive link road and I could go on—it's a long list.Hon Judith Collins: Why did the Minister state that the projects would be "ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal" when clearly the projects were not started as soon as the construction industry returned to normal?Hon DAVID PARKER: I reject the premise of the question as evidenced by the transport projects I listed.Hon Judith Collins: What reports if any has he seen on the number of construction jobs that have been lost due to his delay in announcing which projects will proceed?Hon DAVID PARKER: I again reject the premise of that question. I think the construction industry is sophisticated enough to know that when the Government is spending more than $10 billion in this year there's a pipeline of infrastructure projects on the way.Hon Judith Collins: Does he agree with Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate who said that the construction firms that relied on her council's work programme needed answers on whether the Government was going to come to the rescue and fund infrastructure projects and that "It would be ideal if we knew in the next couple of weeks and no later"; if so when will he advise the Mayor of Hamilton Paula Southgate?Hon DAVID PARKER: I agree with the mayor that construction projects are an important part of the Government's response to the recession caused by COVID-19 and I've already covered the financials which show that approximately 175 percent of 2017 expenditure is forecast for this year."