Mr SPEAKERI apologise to the honourable member. Today, for some reason, the basic noise level in the House is very high. If members are having a private conversation, I ask them to please go out into the lobbies. The noise is discourteous to those seeking to ask and answer questions. The noise has been quite high all afternoon. I apologise to the member.
How many houses were retrofitted in the first month of the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Energy and Resources) Link to this
I am very pleased to advise the House that in the first month of the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand insulation scheme, 3,282 homes were retrofitted. This means that thousands of Kiwis will now be living in warmer, drier, and healthier homes, and it is very pleasing to see the public respond so positively to this programme.
How many houses lived in by residents with community services cards have received assistance under the Warm Up New Zealand scheme?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
Although the universal nature of the Government’s new scheme sets it apart from the previous scheme promised by the previous Labour Government, it is extremely pleasing to note that of the 3,282 homes retrofitted so far, some 1,983 homes are lived in by residents with community services cards. That is about 60 percent of the houses done so far. We think that is very good in terms of the health benefits and for the general comfort and warmth of the community services cardholders who live in those homes.
How many service providers are being approved to deliver the scheme; if they are approved, from when will they be available?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority recently opened application arrangements for people who want to become providers to become accredited. It received some 249 applications, and those applications are being considered at the moment. Those new providers will be available to carry out some installation work from 1 October this year.
Charles ChauvelIs the Minister aware that Government-approved providers have increased their prices as a result of the subsidy, cancelling out the discount for the household; does he think that the Prime Minister’s announcement last week, setting up the 38th review committee so far announced by this Government, will do anything to ensure that families will get access to insulation and clean heating this winter?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
When any new Government takes over the mess left by a previous Government, there is a lot of cleaning up to do. In respect of the claims made by the member, I say he should have read the Dominion Post last Friday, where an apology was printed for the story it ran that suggested that the scheme providers were ripping people off. The case that was cited was of a Wellington couple who had a heating appliance installed in their house. The appliance was a 4.8 kilowatt heater. The quote they had received, which they said represented a rip-off, was for a 6.25 kilowatt heater. The member might like to know that the difference between the two is the difference between the prices that he is hanging his hat on.