6. Question No. 6—FinanceHon JAMES SHAW (Minister of Climate Change) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 6—Finance6. Hon JAMES SHAW (Minister of Climate Change) to the Minister of Finance: Will the Government make further funding available from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support people in hardship; if so in what form?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): In short yes as we assess the extent of the adequacy of current responses and any emerging needs. In a longer form—as long as the Speaker lets me speak for a little bit longer—we are going to continue the work that we've done to support those on low incomes. Most notably you would have seen this with the increase to all main benefits that was in the Budget this year and the ongoing work that we have done with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and most recently the announcements by Ministers Sepuloni and Henare about additional support around matters of food security.Hon James Shaw: Does he agree with the Minister for Social Development and Employment regarding additional support that the Government is watching this space" and if so what is the Government watching for before it decides to make further support available for those who need it?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As I said in my primary answer what we want to do is ensure that the current forms of support we have are adequate. Where they are not and where we either need to top up existing funds or create new ones that is the work that we are doing at the moment. I would encourage anybody who is suffering any form of hardship to get in contact with the Ministry of Social Development. We have provided additional resources just within the last week for MSD around issues of food security in particular and we will continue to look at other areas of hardship.Hon James Shaw: In light of that answer would things like hardship grants and food grants be necessary if more funding had been available in Budget 2021 to increase core benefits by a greater amount?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I believe that the increase in benefits that was in Budget 2021 represented the largest in a generation. It was a significant shift for those people on the lowest incomes in New Zealand and came on top of earlier increases in that space and also further support through the winter energy payment. As I said earlier on we will continue to look to provide support to those who are in the greatest need and we will have more to say on that I'm sure in the coming days.Hon James Shaw: Well in light of that answer given the quantum of funding that was made available why then are there still people who are having to approach services for food parcels and hardship grants?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Well there are New Zealanders in a wide range of need for a wide range of reasons. We do understand that not always is that met through the formal income support system. That is why we strongly encourage those who are experiencing hardship who need support to contact the Ministry of Social Development. Funding has been given to MSD and to other social service providers to be able to respond to emergency need.Hon James Shaw: Will he make funding available for financial support for tertiary students to cover their rent particularly those who can't access student allowances and don't have the usual kinds of casual employment options available to them at the moment?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I would note that the Hardship Fund for Learners was extended this year and does continue to be available for the 2021 calendar year through tertiary institutions. We again are continuing to monitor that and the use of that closely.Hon Peeni Henare: Can the Minister of Finance confirm that Budget 2020 provided provision for Whānau Ora to continue to support whānau and in the most recent outbreak they've pivoted those resources to do such things?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yes I can confirm that. I want to thank again Whānau Ora providers other iwi providers and other social service providers for their excellent work. It is a very good question that the member asks because the funding that was given out both in Budget 2020 and in Budget 2021 doesn't stop; it carries on. I congratulate the Whānau Ora providers for using that and pivoting to these new circumstances.Hon James Shaw: Will he make funding available to help stranded migrant workers in Aotearoa cover living costs like rent now that emergency benefits have ended so that they don't have to rely on food parcels?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Government's taken significant steps to support those people who we would put into that category of stranded migrants and I note that the assistance for foreign nationals impacted by COVID-19 programme has assisted 12794 temporary visa holders at a total cost of $26.5 million. I'm advised that there is only between 60 and 80 people who were left being supported by that programme. Again I would encourage them to talk to local social service agencies.Hon James Shaw: Will he make funding available for people like early childhood relief teachers many of whom are not eligible for current financial support despite not being able to work right now?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The difficulty we have here is those people who are in those circumstances are not employed by the Government so the schemes that the Government has in place to support relief teachers through direct means are not available. Those centres that they work for are continuing to be funded and so the first port of call for those relief teachers should be a conversation with the centre which they work for. Depending on their own employment situation they may well be eligible in their own right for support through the wage subsidy scheme and resurgence support scheme and I'd encourage those relief teachers to look at those two schemes as well. SPEAKER: That concludes oral questions."