﻿Mr SPEAKER: The House comes to Questions for Oral Answer.
Question No 1, Hon Annette King.
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour)
to the Minister of Health: Did each district health board (DHB)
get a funding increase in Budget 2016 sufficient for them
to meet all health demographics,
wages, and inflationary cost pressures; if not,
which ones did not?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health):
Just before I answer, I would just like to congratulate
the Labour Party on its 100 years, and in particular Mrs King,
who seems to have been here for much of it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!
The first part, I think the House—[Interruption] Order!
On the first part, I think the House should note it
with congratulations; and on the second part, I think
the House should take the opportunity of acknowledging
the huge contribution the Hon Annette King has made
to this House. Now, if we could have the answer to the question.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Generally speaking, yes,
although you never know the actual pressures,
such as inflation, until the year is ended.
Certainly, the extra $468 million going to
DHB services this year will ensure that the $150 million
underfunding of DHBs delivered in Labour's
last Budget is never repeated.
Hon Annette King: So what are the total estimated
DHB pressures in dollar terms for 2017-18 provided to him
by the Ministry of Health?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have not got that figure with me
but it is publicly available.
Hon Annette King: What is the total amount in dollar terms
of efficiency savings that he requires from DHBs in 2016-17
on top of the near $900 million that DHBs have had to find since 2011-12?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well, look, it would not be too far off
the automatic 0.5% dividend that Labour required in terms of efficiencies—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! No, that is not the question.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have not got the full figure with me.
Mr SPEAKER: The question has now been addressed.
Hon Annette King: Why did the following DHBs,
according to updated figures from the Ministry of Health,
not receive sufficient funding to cover all their health pressures
in 2016: Auckland, Canterbury, Capital and Coast, Counties Manukau,
Hawke's Bay, Hutt Valley, Nelson-Marlborough, South Canterbury,
Taranaki, Wairarapa, Waitematā, and West Coast—12 in total?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That is completely incorrect.
That $468 million will pretty much cover all pressures,
but, of course, we will not know the inflation figure
until the end of the year. What I can say is that
over the last 8 years the money that the Government has put
into health has fully funded all pressures,
including inflation, and the facts bear that out.
Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table information sourced
from the Parliamentary Library using Vote Health Estimates
questions from 2016, showing the 12 DHBs that were not funded
to their full extent.
Mr SPEAKER: On the basis of the answer that was given,
I will put the leave for that to be tabled. Leave is sought
to table that particular information prepared by the Parliamentary Library.
Is there any objection?
There is none. It can be tabled.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I seek leave to table figures showing
that this year the allocation to DHBs covered all pressures.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just need to know the source of the papers
the Minister is seeking to table.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Ministry of Health.
Mr SPEAKER: Are they publicly available?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No.
Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that information.
[Interruption] Order! The House will decide. Leave is sought
to table that information. Is there any objection?
There is none. It can be tabled.
Hon Annette King: Is he satisfied that the impact
on Canterbury DHB of not receiving sufficient funding
to meet all its pressures means that it is now looking
at "the financial sustainability" of services, leading to cuts
and reconfigurations, for example— an example that they have given—
in older people's health.
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No, that is completely incorrect.
Look, the Canterbury DHB is receiving an extra $44 million this year,
and this Government has supported Canterbury health
right throughout the difficult last 5 years. An extra $106 million
has gone in there—$20 million specifically for mental health services,
on top of the $86 million that has been put in there to make good
on the deficit position.
Hon Annette King: What changes to the care of older people
living at home will be required to enable Capital and Coast DHB
and Hutt Valley DHB to save $7.6 million as part of his
enforced saving review?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I do not know that there are going to be
any changes there, but what I can tell you is that deficits across DHBs
are about $50 million and dropping— quite different from 8 years ago
when they were $150 million and increasing.
Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the Capital and Coast DHB
board papers, dated 2 February 2016,
headed "Procurement of Homecare Support Services".
Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table those board papers.
Is there any objection?
There is none. It can be tabled.
Hon Annette King: Why does he not just fess up
to the Government's underfunding the health budget—by a whopping
$1.72 billion now, according to independent figures—
instead of blaming DHBs and sending in expensive consultants
to review them, only to be forced to cough up extra money later on?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Those are not independent figures; that is
the NZ Council of Trade Unions' figure and it is incorrect.
The fact is that the health budget had increased by $4 billion.
But look, we are about services— Mrs King and Labour are just about
quibbling over money. So there are more operations, more appointments,
more doctors—no one is going to Australia for cancer services.
And I tell you what—the Labour Party cannot name one single service
that has not improved in the last 8 years. That is a fact.
Mr SPEAKER: Question No 2.
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