Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10742. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes and I am particularly pleased to stand by my statement earlier today that this Government has increased funding for Pharmac to $850 million a year an increase of $200 million since 2008.Andrew Little: Does he stand by his statement that “I’m open and talk to Koru lounge members all the time.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not think I actually said the last part of that. I said I am in the Koru lounge and I talk to people. I did not say I talk to Koru lounge members.Andrew Little: In his travels through Koru lounges has he talked to Tracey Allen a terminally ill woman who now has to choose between heating her rental house or buying food?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I have not. But what I would say to her is that this Government is supporting her and a great many people like her in so many different ways including insulating 320000 homes and ensuring another 180000 homes will be insulated in the next 3 years. If she is on any sort of benefit then she may well have benefited from the increases this Government has made. She certainly benefited I would have said from the extra money going into health under this Government and she may well benefit from new drugs that are being supported by Pharmac today.Andrew Little: Putting aside the fact that drugs are not normally a source of heat in households how many of the 42000 kids hospitalised each year because of cold damp mouldy homes has he met in Koru lounges or elsewhere recently?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not have that number. The member if he wants an answer would actually have to ask the Minister for Building and Housing and I suggest put that down in writing. But what I would say is “A lot less.” because of the 320000 homes that have been insulated under my Government’s watch.Andrew Little: What is his response to Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills who says that his Government’s rental standards are “shameful” and “a wasted opportunity and a broken promise to our children that will do little for children living in cold damp mouldy housing.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: What I would say is firstly this Government has insulated 320000 homes and it has a further 180000 that will be insulated. I would say this Government has increased benefits for the first time in 43 years which will assist people to pay for the heating that they have. This Government has created 200000 jobs in the last 8 years which will allow more people to have employment to pay for their heating. What I will say is I will not do what that member is suggesting which is put up the very rents of the people he claims he is trying to support.Andrew Little: What is his response to Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan whose new study shows that requiring 2008 insulation standards rather than the 1978 standards promoted by his Minister for Building and Housing would keep thousands of kids out of hospital each year?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Again it is a very technical question which the member really needs to ask of the Minister for Building and Housing because I have not made a statement in that area. But the Minister for Building and Housing advises me that the costs outweighed the benefits.Andrew Little: Does he agree with Nick Smith that the costs of modern insulation and heating standards are not worth the benefits—[Interruption] Listen Nick—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the member the Hon Dr Nick Smith continues to interject and cause disruption when the question is being asked I will be asking him to leave. Would the member please start the question again.Andrew Little: Does he agree with Nick Smith that the costs of modern insulation and heating standards are not worth the benefits given that the benefits are preventing Kiwi kids from getting sick and from dying?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I agree with Nick Smith in the context of the statements he would have been making. But I say this: the member gets up as if his previous Government had any kind of track record when it came to insulating and warming up homes; it was a disgrace. There were 50000 homes that would have been insulated in the entire 9 years. In fact that number is being generous. And actually it will be 500000 on our Government’s watch.Darroch Ball: Does he still stand by his recent statement in regard to employment that “We have strong results for young people.” given this Government has now produced an increase of 8500 unemployed young people and a “neets” rate that includes the highest quarterly increase of unemployed young men since records began?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do stand by that statement. I stand by that statement because under my Government’s watch 200000 jobs have been increased. You have seen that with migration numbers of how many people are coming back. The overall “neets” rate has been increasing dramatically under this Government because people are either in work in training or in education.Rt Hon Winston Peters: On his statement regarding following the OED on corporate tax why will his Government not take real action on international corporates such as Facebook paying a lousy $43000 in tax Tegel a lousy 0.38 percent in tax and Lockheed Martin a lousy $155000 on revenue of $27 million; that is Prime Minister real action like the Australians took yesterday?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: A couple of things: “On” is not the way to start a question and the “OED” is no longer a multilateral organisation; it is the OECD—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! [Interruption]Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You are the judge of how a question should be put. You have the authority to make that decision not some illiterate like the Prime Minister.Mr SPEAKER: I am pleased that the member acknowledges that I am the judge of such issues and on this occasion I am generously allowingthe question and now the Prime Minister can answer it.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I say to the member that if he hangs around long enough in question time today he will be able to see just how good the Speaker is.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Would the Prime Minister please—[Interruption] Order! Would the Prime Minister now ask the question that was originally asked.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: OK. OK I will ask myself a question then I will answer it. Are multinationals paying enough—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With the greatest respect question time goes like this: a member asks the question of a Minister. He does not start asking himself questions; otherwise he should be sent off to the loony bin.Mr SPEAKER: I could oblige but it might not necessarily be the way the member wants. Does the Prime Minister want to complete his answer? Otherwise we are moving on to another question.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: It is so far back that I am trying to remember. The Government’s view is that we are working with the OECD to make sure that multinationals pay their fair share of tax. I do not think there is too much debate they are paying what is legally required of them today but because of a range of arrangements available to them our view is that there may well be better opportunities for New Zealand from a tax perspective and we are working with the OECD on base minimisation for that reason.