Amended Answers to Oral Questions — Question No. 8 to Minister

I seek leave to make a personal explanation, correcting an answer given during oral question No. 8 today.

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Does anyone object to that? Leave is granted.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. During oral question No. 8 today, the Hon Gerry Brownlee asked, “When the Minister said yesterday, in an answer to a question, that the ACC accounts were very full and that they needed to be rebalanced down, did he convey that Government position to the board of ACC, and is he concerned that the board of ACC did not listen to him in preparing a consultation document that has motor vehicle levies going up?”

I did not need to convey that position to ACC, because, under the Accident Compensation Act 2001, ACC is required to give effect to the Government funding policy statement on ACC levies, which requires ACC to target a funding band of between 100 and 110 percent of reported liabilities, and also requires ACC to make adjustments to levy rates that would achieve that target funding band over a 10-year horizon, should current accounts be outside of that band. That funding policy statement was gazetted on 10 May 2016 by the Hon Nikki Kaye.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. A personal statement is made in the House to correct an error or a misleading statement given to the House. The Minister has answered the question a second time. What’s the error or misleading statement he’s apologising or notifying the House about?

There was some back and forth—

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: There was.

—about the answer to this question. I believe the Speaker indicated that the answer had not enlightened the House, as to the answer to the question. I have come to the House in order to provide the information the House required.

I think it probably would have been better if he’d sought leave to clarify the answer rather than correct, because, in fact, the point of order is correct: there is no correction, but you did explain to the House the answer to the question. In fairness, there was considerable back and forth.