12. Question No. 12—Building and ConstructionPAULO GARCIA (National—New Lynn) to the Minister for Building and ConstructionQuestion No. 12—Building and Construction12. PAULO GARCIA (National—New Lynn) to the Minister for Building and Construction: What announcements has the Government made about building consent delays?Hon CHRIS PENK (Minister for Building and Construction): Today I announced that we are putting the spotlight on building consent delays. It's already a matter of law that building consents and code compliance certificates—or CCCs—must be completed within 20 working days. However feedback from builders on the ground and frustrated homeowners is that they often take a lot longer causing frustrating and costly delays. This coalition Government is taking steps to reduce those delays and speed up the building consents system by requiring councils to submit data for building consents and CCCs every quarter.Paulo Garcia: What impact do building consent delays have?Hon CHRIS PENK: These delays increase the cost of building and make it harder to build as well. The delays also limit the sector's ability to deliver the affordable houses that Kiwis deserve and need. In the words of my colleague and friend Chris Bishop in answering a previous question This Government is tackling the housing crisis by going for a bucketload of housing growth."Paulo Garcia: What data is currently available on building consents?Hon CHRIS PENK: Unbelievably there is currently no consistent nationwide data on building consent time frames. This means that there is little accountability and transparency for the delays being experienced by builders or Kiwis just looking to do some DIY. However starting next month building consent authorities will be required to report time frames for building consents and CCC applications with this data being published on the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment website every quarter.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: What steps will the Minister be taking to ensure that building consent authorities have the appropriate resources to meet these new requirements?Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: More bureaucracy.Hon CHRIS PENK: There is no more bureaucracy involved because this data is already collected. Because building consent authorities are required to understand how long it is that they're taking to process the consents it's merely a matter of them reporting that existing information. In response more particularly to the question around resources it's precisely because we need to understand if there are shortfalls in resources or perhaps system reform that's required that we are wanting to have such reforms based on evidence the hard data that we're getting currently rather than just the anecdotal information that we're currently relying upon.Paulo Garcia: What impact will these changes have?Hon CHRIS PENK: There will be three key impacts. The first is transparency and accountability within the current system; second collecting the data will help to inform any system reform that is needed in the future to work out our ambitious plan to streamline the building consent process; and third it will provide a baseline for comparisons in the future to monitor the effects of other building reforms that we are taking in this space."