Gilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGilmore Aaron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 20 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12583. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National)to theMinister of Health: What progress has been made on providing better access to surgical first specialist assessments?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):I am pleased to advise that the number of New Zealanders getting assessed by hospital specialists to see whether they need elective surgery has risen by 40000 under this Government to a record 294000 assessments. This is a 16 percent increase under this Government—an average increase of 8000 a year. This stands in stark contrast to the period between 2001 and 2007-08 when the number of people who were able to access surgical specialist appointments basically flat-lined.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You heard the last part of that answer. Where in the primary question was that sought by the questioner and why did you allow him to finish that way?Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has a perfect right to answer the question as he sees fit. There was nothing out of order with the answer from the Minister.Paul Foster-Bell: What advice has he received on the benefits for patients of this significant increase in first specialist assessments?Hon TONY RYALL: Surgical specialist assessments are the gateway to elective surgery which can relieve pain and restore quality of life. As an example the number of patients who have received an orthopaedic first specialist assessment is now 20 percent more. Nearly 10000 more orthopaedic assessments are being delivered each year compared with 2008 under the Labour - New Zealand First Government. This is a great credit—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There he goes again and—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member just give his point of order.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well I am.Mr SPEAKER: Well do it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If you do not mind I got just a few words out.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. The member has raised a number of points of order today that have not been valid. I give the opportunity for the member to stand again and raise a point of order but without the introduction.Rt Hon Winston Peters: My point of order is that the Minister has repeated the same offence that I complained about before and that is that he is now talking about for example a New Zealand First - Labour Government. There never was one. That was misinformation for a start. It is not part of the supplementary question being asked in the first place. That is the point of order I seek to raise and I have a right to raise it in this House.Mr SPEAKER: The member has a right to raise a point of order and on this occasion he has raised it. I have ruled that I did not think the answer was out of order. I had already done that so the member is effectively questioning my ruling. I will not continue to take it from the member.Hon TONY RYALL: An example is that the number of patients who have received an orthopaedic first specialist assessment is now 20 percent more. Nearly 10000 more orthopaedic assessments have been delivered each year than in 2008. This is—[Interruption ] Who was in Government then?Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not a part—Hon TONY RYALL: This a great credit to the hard-working staff involved and I want to thank them for their effort in providing even better services for New Zealand patients.