10. GEORGINA BEYER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Housing
What is the Government doing to ensure State housing is being used effectively?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Housing) Link to this
In the last year the Housing New Zealand Corporation has saved the taxpayer $292 million by shifting people into smaller homes when their families have grown up, and by encouraging market rent tenants to buy their first home or rent in the private sector. As a socially and fiscally responsible landlord we aim to meet tenants’ changing needs and ensure effective use of resources.
I have seen two rather alarming reports. The first is Dr Brash’s proposal to reintroduce market rents for State houses to trim the waiting lists, which is a shameful policy that led to food banks opening in every community during the 1990s. The other part of the proposal, confirmed as recently as last week by Phil Heatley, National’s spokesman on housing, is to resume the sale of State houses.
Phil HeatleyWhy did the Minister say that the recent case of an inherited State house was “not an isolated one” and that cases are “arising regularly around the country”, then refuse to answer parliamentary questions detailing the number of cases; surely he should be bothered to find out how widespread subletting rorts are, given that many genuinely needy people could really use those State homes?
Firstly, no State houses are inherited. Secondly, we have 11,700 people on the waiting list. That member’s Government sold 13,000 State houses.
Hon Dover Samuels Link to this
What is the Government doing about easing the housing shortage in Northland, and what assistance has he got from the local member of Parliament for Whangarei?
Madam SPEAKERI will be happy to answer the first part. Recently the Hon Dover Samuels and I opened a new $4 million, 21-unit housing village in Kaumātua Crescent, in Whangarei. It provides new homes for older single tenants and for couples currently living in larger Housing New Zealand Corporation homes. Strangely, the local member could not be bothered turning up. That person is National’s spokesperson on housing, Phil Heatley.
I seek leave to table an official Government statement made last week, stating that inherited or sublet State houses were not isolated incidents but common “around the country”.