Gilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Gilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:671;Page:17529] 
5. 
AARON GILMORE (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What progress has been made reopening schools and early childhood education centres in Christchurch following the 22 February earthquake? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I am pleased to announce that as of today other than two special schools and two private schools whose students have been accommodated elsewhere all schools in Christchurch are now open. This means that every student in Christchurch has a school to go to. In addition to that 74 percent of early childhood centres are now open. 
Aaron Gilmore 
: What is the latest information on the number of schoolchildren who have returned to Christchurch? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: It is pleasing that as of lunchtime today more than 1600 students—actually 1643 students—have returned to Christchurch. It was interesting to talk to students yesterday who were returning to Christchurch from Auckland. They were telling me how awesome it was that their school was now open and they could get back to some sort of normality. 
Aaron Gilmore 
: What support is being provided for early childhood education centres to help them open again? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: We have extended the emergency funding to help provide some financial stability for early childhood education centres whose children have temporarily moved away or who are being kept at home by their parents. In addition we have relocated 25 services into temporary accommodation. We are also providing traumatic support and counselling. We are supplying Portaloos where necessary and other logistical support and resources that centres might require. 
Sue Moroney 
: How many of the children returning to the early childhood education centres that have opened still face increased fees as a result of her budget cuts? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: If that member cares to talk to the providers of early childhood services she will find that they are very grateful that this Government has extended the full emergency funding to them. In addition we are funding places for children who have enrolled in other centres throughout New Zealand. Many providers are trying just to keep their businesses together. 
Sue Moroney 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a straightforward question. The Minister did not address the question at all. I asked about the number of children returning to early childhood education facilities in Christchurch where fees had been increased and she made no reference to that in her answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will invite the member to repeat her question so that everyone can— 
Hon Member 
: There’s supposition in there. You can’t— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Questions can be hypothetical. In fact the member just asked a simple question—as the member pointed out—as to how many of these children are facing higher fees. The question is capable of an answer and there was not much of an attempt to answer it. I ask the member to repeat the question. 
Sue Moroney 
: How many of the parents of the children returning to early childhood education facilities in Christchurch face higher fees? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I understand that the parents of those children who are returning to newly opened early childhood services are so pleased to have those services open and available to them I can honestly say none of them have tried to play politics. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The point of asking questions to Ministers in the House is to hold them accountable. If the Minister will not address the question asked we have no accountability and this question time becomes a farce. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I have some sympathy with the point of order the member has made. What compounded the Minister’s error in my view was adding the implication that the member asking the question was playing politics. Members are entitled to ask questions. My concern about the question is that it is a wee way away from the primary question and it may be that the Minister does not have that information with her today. But the Minister in answering questions—and there have been three of them; four counting the primary question—did mention children returning to their early childhood education centres. The question is a fair one. Answers have included information about children returning to early childhood education centres and to allege that the member is playing politics in asking a fair question is not on. I invite the Minister to answer the question. The member does not need to repeat it because we all heard it. 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: I have no responsibility for any fees that any business may charge parents. 
Grant Robertson 
: Yes you do. 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: No I do not. What I have said as Minister of Education is that I have made sure the emergency funding that the Government pays to those services has continued now for 5 weeks. Whatever those businesses might care to charge or not charge parents has been nothing to do with this Government. However no parent has tried in any way to play politics about this Government’s policies. 
Sue Moroney 
: Is the Minister prepared to consider restoring the funding cuts to the Christchurch early childhood education centres which led to the higher fee increases in order to assist those families who are struggling? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: There is no evidence of any higher fee increases in Christchurch and the answer is no. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Mr Speaker. How has the formalised education relationship between the Ministry of Education and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu assisted in the post-earthquake responses to early childhood centres schools and kura? 
Hon ANNE TOLLEY 
: Because of those relationships with Ngai Tahu it has been very easy to make contact with them to offer support. At this stage none has been requested but they are aware that the ministry is there and able to provide any of the services that I listed before should they require them and indeed if they require temporary premises.