3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterNICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. NICOLA WILLIS (Deputy Leader—National) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all of his Ministers?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Deputy Prime Minister) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes because those Ministers have worked hard to see us in a position where we have 77000 fewer children in poverty; delivered 12000 new public homes after a decade of cuts and neglect; hired more than 4200 more nurses; reduced class sizes for years 4 and 8; supported 1 million New Zealanders a year with the cost of their power bills with the winter energy payment; scrapped the $5 prescription co-payment; delivered 63 million free lunches to 950 schools and kura to over 220000 learners; increased Pharmac funding by over 40 percent; delivered 1800 extra police; concluded four free-trade agreements and upgraded existing agreements with Singapore China and ASEAN member States; achieved record levels of R & D expenditure up 67 percent since 2014; tripled the number of electric vehicles coming into New Zealand including Teslas; consistently achieved record low unemployment; established fair-pay agreements—I could go on but I won't unless I'm asked to. I'm very proud of what our Ministers have achieved.Nicola Willis: How can he have confidence in his Minister of Finance when he has allowed the cost of living crisis to drag on for two years while presiding over the biggest drop in per capita GDP since the last Labour Government?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I am really glad that that member has asked that question. It gives me an opportunity to say why I have trust and confidence in our finance Minister. That Minister led us through a global pandemic and has taken us to a place where we are much better placed than many other countries are. Globally inflation has gone up. That member continues to ignore the fact that New Zealand is not alone in this but our economy is better placed now than what it was before the pandemic. Our unemployment rate is still at near record lows at 3.4 percent. And just one other example: that Minister of Finance delivered alongside his favourite Minister the Minister for Social Development and Employment a wage subsidy that saved thousands and thousands of jobs and businesses. I am very proud of our Minister of Finance.Nicola Willis: Does the Prime Minister think the Minister of Finance has the enthusiasm and determination needed for the economic fix-up ahead when when asked about the recession he has nothing but excuses blaming a cyclone that didn't hit the country until four months after the recession had started?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Can I thank that member for giving me the opportunity to speak more about our Minister of Finance. As I said we are doing comparatively better than a lot of the world at the moment but we acknowledge—and the Minister of Finance on a daily basis acknowledges—that New Zealanders are doing it tough at the moment. We see it. We're in those communities. We know it. That is why that Minister of Finance delivered a Budget where we saw the $5 prescription co-payment removed. We saw 20 hours' free early childhood education (ECE) applied to two-year-olds.Chris Bishop: How does that apply?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Mr Bishop said How does that apply?" That applies because childcare is one of the most expensive in-work expenses that families have. That finance Minister has ensured that our children get free public transport and young people under 25—or between 13 and 24—get half-price public transport. I want to thank that finance Minister and I hope that member gives me another opportunity to talk about him.Nicola Willis: Does the Prime Minister have confidence that the Minister of Education is taking seriously enough concerns raised by the educational watchdog the Education Review Office who highlight that student attendance and achievement is plummeting and of serious concern; and does Minister Tinetti have enough time to focus on this in between sessions at the Privileges Committee?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I have absolute confidence in our Minister of Education. I am really grateful that we have a person in that position who intimately understands how the education system works has committed her life to children and the education system and now has an opportunity to serve in this Parliament and in this Government to make decisions on behalf of that education system that she cares so deeply about. I could go on about the number of achievements that have been attained under Minister Tinetti's watch but I'll just give a couple: firstly the reduction of class sizes for years 4 to 8—that Minister is responsible for that. Secondly I want to point out again: 20 hours' free ECE for 2-year-olds—thank you very much our Minister of Education.Nicola Willis: How many schools have actually got an extra teacher out of the policy she just listed as the major achievement of the Minister of Education?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: If that member wants that level of detail she should put it in writing or perhaps ask the Minister of Education that question herself.Nicola Willis: Does the Prime Minister have confidence in the Minister of Revenue who while overseeing a huge increase in the tax take is busy designing new taxes and allowing his department to spend $30 million redecorating and refurbishing its offices?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I don't really understand how that member could expect me to criticise our Minister of Revenue for doing his work. That is what he is there to do: to look at the tax system to explore options and to provide advice and inform his Cabinet on what he thinks the lay of the land is and where we could go potentially. He's doing a great job—he's doing his job.Nicola Willis: Well could the Prime Minister then please tell us what he's told him the lay of the land is and where he might take us on tax?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Right now we don't have a tax policy at this point in time. We have said on a number of occasions that it will come in due course. That member will just have to wait. She will find out at the same time the rest of New Zealand does."