King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7557. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What reports has he received if any on the pressures facing the public health workforce?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Associate Minister of Health): on behalf of theMinister of Health: I have seen a report saying that the funding for health has gone up by over $4 billion under this National Government and that only a National Government can both handle the country’s finances and deliver more health services.Hon Annette King: Has he been advised of the huge pressure on staff working in emergency departments because of the increase in the number of mental health patients requiring care a number that has doubled in some district health boards under this Government’s watch?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: What I have been advised is that funding for mental health and addiction services has gone up from $1.1 billion in 2008 to $1.4 billion in the current financial year. The police and the Ministry of Health are working together to coordinate responsibilities around mental health services and there is a stronger drive to encourage people who are experiencing mental health problems to seek help.Hon Annette King: In light of the Minister’s consistent answer that there is more money in health can he explain why the number of call-outs for adult mental health community services is spiralling out of control and staff have reached the end of their tether?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I say again that the funding for mental health services has gone up from $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion. In fact the proportion of police referrals against total referrals has actually dropped from 5.2 percent to 4.2 percent.Hon Annette King: What impact does he believe giving mental health services a 0.52 percent increase in funding in 2014-15 is having on mental health staff’s ability to provide timely services?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I say to the member: verify those figures because she has brought figures like that into the House that have clearly patently been incorrect. But what I will say is that these services are being coordinated quite well between the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Police. Again as I said $1.4 billion has been spent in this area.Hon Annette King: Has he been advised that the number of call-outs for people needing mental health services in the community in just 12 district health boards has increased to 30000 in this year to June alone a record 20 percent increase?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Again I do not have that member’s figures and do not know where that member gets the figures from but what I can say is that $64 million has been invested over 4 years to support young people with their mental health under the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project—$1.4 billion has been spent on mental health services.Hon Annette King: Does he think that it is appropriate for police to be handling up to 100 call-outs a day to manage mental health patients while the Government refuses to cover all the cost pressures in health that the Minister of Health has admitted in this House?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: The police have developed new training resources to assist in developing their skills and it has spent money to work alongside the ministry to provide these services.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I can anticipate the point of order and I will invite the member to ask the question again.Hon Annette King: Does he think it is appropriate for the police to handle up to 100 call-outs a day to manage mental health patients while the Government refuses to fund all the cost pressures in health which is something that the Minister has admitted in this House?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I dispute the second part of that member’s assertion because the cost pressures in terms of health have been covered in this Budget to the tune of $330 million.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker you listened very carefully to that answer and the Minister disputed that the Minister of Health had made that comment—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No—Hon Annette King: Am I required now to table the Hansardto show that that is exactly what the Minister said?Mr SPEAKER: No. The member is certainly not entitled to even attempt to table the Hansard. The question when I listened to it a second time was probably answered the first time in that the question alleged—according to the member asking that question—that the Government had refused to fund the increase etc. The Minister certainly addressed that; he disputed it.