2. Paid Parental Leave—FlexibilityRt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterPaid Parental Leave—Flexibility2. Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Acting Prime Minister): Yes.Rt Hon Bill English: Does the Prime Minister stand by her Government's policy to deny mothers and fathers the flexibility to decide how they take their paid parental leave as it suits their own individual family needs. Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Ēhara tēnā he kaupapa here—[On the contrary that's not a policy—][Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! No the member will resume his seat. I'll count only Paula Bennett as being the cause of National losing one; I could have taken four or five. The Acting Prime Minister will start his answer again please.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Ko te kaupapa here mō ngā 26 o ngā wiki tō matōu kaupapa he reka āta whakaarohia e mātou wētahi atu whakaaro ā tōna wā.[The policy is for 26 weeks our sweet policy; we will consider other views carefully at an appropriate time in the future.]Rt Hon Bill English: So why does the Prime Minister think that the Government knows best how mothers and fathers should distribute the paid parental leave entitlement that they share?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Ēhara tēnā i tō mātou whakaaro.[On the contrary that is not our view.][Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Was that Clare Curran on that occasion? Which member was it? [Interruption] Right well that means that the Labour Party has just lost a supplementary.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: E kore mātou e whakaae ki tēnā whakapae nā te mema.[We will never agree with that allegation by the member.]Rt Hon Bill English: If the Prime Minister disagrees with that description does she agree with this description—that under the Government's policy the Government is saying it must be the primary caregiver almost always the mother who takes all the paid parental leave and that the Government is opposed to the idea that the mother and the father or the two parents can chose how to distribute the paid parental leave?Mr SPEAKER: I'm sorry to have to keep on doing this but people will take a while and seeing the chief Government whip has previously been punished the Opposition will have two extra supplementaries. Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Nā te Kāwanatanga i whakaroangia te wā ki te 26 ngā wiki ka āta whakaarohia e mātou whiriwhiri mātou i wētahi atu huarahi ā tōna wā.[The Government considered the period of 26 weeks and we will carefully consider and choose other avenues in due course.]Rt Hon Bill English: So can the Prime Minister therefore having given this matter a lot of consideration give us one reason why mothers and fathers should not be allowed to decide for themselves how to distribute their 26 weeks of paid parental leave?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Ko te pūtake o tēnei pire kia whakaroangia ake te wā e taea ana e te māma e te pāpā rānei ki te tiaki i ā rātou pēpi. Koia te tino pūtake.[The reasoning of this bill is to extend the period the mother or father is able to nurse their babies. That's the real reason.]Rt Hon Bill English: So if the intention of the bill is to extend the time available to six months why is the Government not taking the opportunity of the legislative process to allow parents—mothers and fathers—to make their own decision about how they use the paid parental leave given circumstances they have to deal with such as a sick child or a mother with post-natal depression who may want the extra support of her husband?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Ko tā te Āpitihanga whakaaro kia whakapopotongia te wā e taea ana e ngā mātua ki te āta tiaki i ā rātou pēpi. Ko ngā rangahau e mea ana me tō mātou hiahia kia whakaaroangia ake ki te 26 ngā wiki ka āta whiringia e mātou wētahi atu whakaaro ā tōna wā.[The Opposition's view is to shorten the period in which parents are able to nurse their babies properly. Research states plus our desire is that it be stretched out to 26 weeks; we will carefully consider other views at some time in the future.]Mr SPEAKER: No I am going to ask the Acting Prime Minister to have another go at answering that specific question.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Can he repeat that question?Mr SPEAKER: Mr English could you repeat the question in rough form? It was almost like Why not?" slightly extended.Rt Hon Bill English: So can the Prime Minister give any reason why having considered the extension of paid parental leave the Government will not allow two parents of a child the opportunity to decide for themselves how to use the six-month entitlement for instance in the case of a sick child who needs extended and extra care or a mother with post-natal depression who may need desperately the support of her husband?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Te mea e hiahia ana te Kāwanatanga kia āta whiriwhiria ngā kōrero ngā rangahau e pā—mehemea e pai ana rānei ki te mahia i tā te mema e kōrero ana.[The thing the Government desires is that related comments and research should be selected carefully—whether it is OK to do it according to what the member has stated.]Rt Hon Bill English: Can I take it from the Acting Prime Minister's answers that the Government is opposed to this simply because it believes that the Government should decide how parents use their paid parental leave?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Kāhore.[No.]"