Salesa JennyHon JENNY SALESA (Associate Minister of Housing and Urban Development): Thank you very much Madam Assistant Speaker. I stand here today in strong support of the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill (No 2).Herein lies one of the main differences between the National Party and the new coalition-led Government from this side of the House. What we heard in this particular speech from the Hon Michael Woodhouse was a defence of landlords. Can I just remind the honourable member that we now have 50 percent of all people in New Zealand who rent—50 percent of all of our people rent—and one of those folks that is one of the main landlords is the Government.What this legislation will do is it will ensure that all of the homes in Aotearoa New Zealand are insulated that they are warm and that they are healthy. What we know today is that 40000 admissions into hospitals are for respiratory illnesses. These are preventable admissions to the hospitals. They are for respiratory illnesses for many of our children on which when you have warm healthy homes like the ones that we will have under this particular bill we will then save money at the other end.We know from many of our doctors—and I'd like at this time to thank Dr Liz Craig Dr Teuila Percival a paediatrician from the Counties Manukau District Health Board and so many of our doctors who serve our young people. They are the ones—Dr Innes Asher another paediatrician—that tell us and keep on telling us that we need to ensure that our children are living in warm dry healthy homes. It is not just the fact that we have so many children being admitted going in and out of hospitals; it is also the fact that we're told that over 1600 people—their lives are cut short because they live in houses that are not healthy.Now we can actually continue to listen to the opposing side of this House telling us why we should not pass this legislation because they are supporting the landlords. But what about those people whose lives can be changed? It is not every day that we sit here and we talk about legislation that can save people's lives legislation that can save taxpayers' funds. And it is not every day that we can actually look at legislation where we can save money in different parts of the sector—in the health sector. Housing actually has such an effect on our people's lives.You know Madam Assistant Speaker—and I'm sure you have had this experience when you go knocking on doors. [Speaker shakes head] Just last—sorry. Don't bring you in. Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker.Just last winter I was knocking on a certain door and a lady—an elderly lady who had worked all her life—opened the door and she was wearing a really thick jacket. She was also wearing a woollen hat and wearing woollen socks. My question to this lady was Why is it that you are dressed up as if you're walking around outside?" And her answer to me was "My house"—which was a Government house—"is not insulated. It is freezing. It is cold." This legislation will ensure that people like her who have worked all her life actually are living in a house that is fit for purpose a house that is healthy. I stand here in strong support of this legislation. Thank you very much."