THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE Debate mostly about Budget

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 2

THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE Debate mostly about Budget

(By C. R. MENTIPLAY, our Parliamentary reporter)

The Budget continued to monopolise Parliamentary time last week.

The passage through the House of the Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill, the presentation of two other measures related to the Budget, and related discussions occupied the House for most of its time.

Local measures began their progression, but the first three measures to be dealt with related to Wellington and Auckland matters. Only in debates on questions and notices of motion did local members get a chance, and even so the discussion was very much on a Budget plane. Generally, the newlyrevised procedures appear to be working. The new Speaker (Mr Allen) is keeping a firm hand on the ques-tion-and-answer situation. The only Parliamentary facet which remains out of control is the Notice of Motion system—22 notices of motion cover the first three pages of the Order Paper. There will be few regrets when it is ruled that Government business takes precedence, and this laboured verbiage disappears on to its own Order Paper. RISING COSTS Mr T. M. McGuigan said the Government intended to “go along with inflation” instead of fighting it. Charging the Government with making no attack on the rising cost of living, he spoke of the cost of food and shelter, and inadequacy of health services. “The Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) has been responsible for 37 Government impositions since December, 1966, each of which has increased the cost of living for every person in the country,” he said. “We have had five increases in rail charges and eight in air charges, four measures affecting motorists,

two increases in State house rentals, two in electricity charges; three increases in Post Office charges, and two in the cost of cigarettes and tobacco.” GROCERY PRICES

Mr McGuigan estimated the cost of these increases as $753m. He also said that price-control measures had failed; over a five-week period 300 grocery prices had risen. These, he suggested, were “secret increases” about which the Minister of Industries and Commerce appeared to know nothing. Government policy was forcing people into the hands of moneylenders, Mr McGuigan said. For household appliances, furniture and furnishings, hire purchase owing in 1968 amounted to s6lm, but at December 31, 1971, the debt was $l3lm — “because people could not pay cash.”

FAMILY BENEFIT Speaking during the discussion on questions, Mr R. P. B. Drayton (Lab., St Albans) referred to a Ministerial reply to his questions on the fam-

ily benefit capitalisation system.

“We find that in the year ended March 31, 1972, there were 3633 applications for family benefit capitalisation for the purchase or erection of new homes, and 3393 applications for the purchase of existing homes,” Mr Drayton said. “But applications approved during the year were only 2198 for new homes and 1980 for the purchase of existing ones. “This means that for every seven families applying for the capitalisation of family benefit, three are denied this means of enabling them to finance a home of their own. “The situation is strange when considered in terms of National Party election claims, which stated that a National Government would provide, economically, sufficient new homes to house all the people,” Mr Drayton said. RISES FORECAST Mr M. A. Connelly (Lab., Wigram) said that if the Government had followed responsible economic growth policies, or had merely lifted the growth rate of the economy 1 per cent more in the last five years, it would have had about s2oom more in revenue in real terms, which would have enabled a much better deal for social security beneficiaries.

He predicted that prices would rise 6 per cent by the end of this year and another 6 per cent in the first six months of 1973. To offset this a firm restructuring of the economy was necessary, he said. GETTING ANSWERS If the object of asking questions of Ministers is getting answers, then Mr P. Blanchfield (Lab., Westland) must be heading the list of effective inquirers. He has followed the advice of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) to make more use of

the written question system, and has received many Ministerial replies. The only trouble from some members’ point of view is that oral questions may be debated later. Written questions appear in the House only in printed form, and the answers are published once, in the Order Paper. Here are some Ministerial answers to written questions by Mr Blanchfield: Q: Will the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Walker) ask the N.Z.B.C. to produce for local viewing and export a comprehensive documentary on trotting? A: The N.Z.B.C. welcomes the suggestion and will certainly consider favourably the production of a colour documentary on trotting in New Zealand. In addition to being telecast in this country, it could be offered for sale to overseas television organisations. It will take about: nine months to make, and isj unlikely to be started this I year. SMOKING BAN Q: Would the Acting Min-1 ister of Health (Mr Thomson) consent to a request from the Medical Association of New Zealand for an urgent, [meeting with a view to ban-j ining smoking in public places and public transport?

A (abridged): Many trans-1 port operators already pro-: hibit or restrict smoking on public transport, and I agree, this should be encouraged.: Some hospital boards have already taken action on re-: commendations made by the Director-General, World Health Organisation. Pam- j phlets have been printed. A survey of doctors’ smoking habits is being planned byi the department as a follow-up' to the 1964 survey which established that 60.7 per cent of doctors in New Zealand had either never smoked orj had given up smoking. i