8. Question No. 8—HealthHon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Labour) to the Associate Minister of HealthQuestion No. 8—Health8. Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Labour) to the Associate Minister of Health: Does she stand by all her statements and actions?Hon CASEY COSTELLO (Associate Minister of Health): Yes.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Was she being truthful when she said I haven't looked at a freeze on excise at all." in an interview with Guyon Espiner?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: In the context of the interview that was conducted the answer I gave to the question that was put within the 25-minute interview was accurate in the response and framework that question was put.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Has she solved the mystery of who wrote the document that contained proposals to freeze tobacco excise tax in the three weeks since she told Mike Hosking that she was not sure who put it on her desk?Hon Casey Costello: It's not a mystery. That same document also referred to a key bullet point which was how to destroy the tobacco industry which was one of the many discussion points that was collated from a range of campaign positioning and statements.Andy Foster: Has she received reports on the number of people who have stopped smoking?Hon Casey Costello: Yes I have received a range of reports specifically at the current level of smokers being at 6.8 percent. Importantly that data also noted that the smoke-free legislation that the previous Government based their positioning on was 2019-2020 data and since that data on which they based their legislation 305000 people have quit smoking and youth smoking fell from 10.3 percent to 3 percent proving the existing legislation was highly effective.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Why has she refused requests to release the document under the Official Information Act if it is merely as she has said in this House a range of historical policy positions and notes?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: The documentation is part of the discussion documents relating to this legislation being developed and therefore it is under that position that it's being withheld.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: With respect to the mystery of who wrote the document that appeared on her desk has she considered calling in a former detective to investigate?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: No.Andy Foster: Can she tell the House what practical tools and approaches have worked to date?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: Vaping as a cessation tool has worked successfully and I would like to recognise that the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill 2020 introduced by New Zealand First which regulated vaping has been a monumental factor in the smoking reduction rates we are seeing today.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Is she still actively considering freezes to tobacco excise tax and if so has she been honest in all her statements to the Prime Minister?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: I have been very clear on the fact that I am not currently considering an increase in excise tax. The first thing I did as a Minister was raise the excise tax in a Cabinet paper that I submitted in November 2023 and came into effect on 1 January 2024.Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall: Point of order. The member answered with respect to an—that she said she is not considering an increase in excise tax. The question was about a freeze to excise tax which is what the member proposed to officials in the document she sent.SPEAKER: Well I mean she also said that the first action she took as a Minister was to increase tax which doesn't exactly imply a freeze.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Point of order. In an earlier answer from the Minister she quoted from the document by saying there was a section headed "destroying the tobacco industry". That's a direct quote and I would request that the Minister table the document.SPEAKER: Was that a direct quote? Is it a document that you have in the House with you at the moment?Hon CASEY COSTELLO: No it's not a direct quote and it's not with me in the House."