2. Capital and Coast District Health Board—FundingHon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of HealthCapital and Coast District Health Board—Funding2. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What is the total amount of efficiencies that Capital and Coast District Health Board have made in 2015/16?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Acting Minister of Health): The theoretical savings for the 2016 year are estimated at around $40 million or 3 to 4 percent. Of course district health boards (DHBs) are always required to make efficiency savings and it was no different under the previous Government. The context for this of course is that 8 years ago the deficit was $66 million within that district health board and it is now around $12 million. The important thing to note though is that the Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) at the same time has lifted its services across the board including an increase in surgeries of over 50 percent and hip and knee surgeries are up 76 percent.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table information from an Official Information Act request which I received from the Capital and Coast District Health Board dated 12 February 2016 which points out it is not a theoretical $40 million saving plan; it is $40 million.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular Official Information Act information. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: Is it acceptable in order to meet $40 million in efficiencies that he requires of Capital and Coast District Health Board that funding be cut from primary healthcare in the region which the largest primary health organisation (PHO) has said is unmanageable?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I cannot confirm the figure that the member just stated but what I can say is that the funding for the district health board has gone up $198 million over 8 years. That is 34 percent—well ahead of inflation.Hon Annette King: How can mental health services be right at the top" of his priority list when funding for primary mental health services provided by GPs and NGOs in Capital and Coast District Health Board are to be cut to make the savings that he is demanding?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I again query the figures that that member presents because the figures that I have to hand show an increase in mental health expenditure in that district health board area by $17 million or 21 percent in the last 7 years.Hon Annette King: How can his concern about mental health services be taken seriously when the following cuts have been made in funding: $118500 from Compass Health a PHO; $260000 from Te Awakairangi Health Network a PHO; and $150000 from Newtown and Porirua services—both very low cost access services—and when cuts have been made to community health services in the region?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Well again I would dispute the relevance of that given that we have increased mental health services not just in the last year but across the board—Hon Annette King: They're cuts.Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: They are not cuts. They are in proportion to the total funding that the district health board makes and that has gone up $200 million in the last 8 years.Hon Annette King: Will he rule out in the House today that there is absolutely no impact on mental health services in Capital and Coast Health District Health Board?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I refer to my previous answer which states that mental health expenditure has gone up year on year ahead of inflation in the last 8 years.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked whether he would rule that there would be any cuts. I do not care what funding has gone in; will there be any cuts?Mr SPEAKER: Order! No the member cannot demand a yes or no answer. I accept that she can be dissatisfied with that particular answer and I will allow the member one additional supplementary question.Hon Annette King: Thank you Mr Speaker. I did happen to have a fifth one here that I did not think I would ever get the chance to do.Mr SPEAKER: We will move on then.Hon Annette King: Why would the chief executive of Lower Hutt district health board say publicly that he has had to cut funding for mental health services this financial year?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I cannot speak for the Lower Hutt district health board—in fact there is no Lower Hutt district health board. There is Hutt Valley District Health Board where the funding has actually gone up $415 million over the last 8 years and that member knows that spending has gone up.Kris Faafoi: Does he think it is acceptable that to make his savings the Capital and Coast District Health Board is considering closing the overnight GP service at Kenepuru Hospital which could see some families in Kāpiti and Porirua travel 50 kilometres—much further than they do now—to see a GP in the small hours of the morning?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: What I can say about this district health board is that there are over 176 more doctors who are on the front line and there are more than 387 more nurses on the front line and that is better than anything that the Labour Government did in its 9 years.Kris Faafoi: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: I will allow the member to repeat the question. The Minister may not have heard it.Kris Faafoi: Does he think it is acceptable that to make his savings Capital and Coast District Health Board is considering closing the overnight GP service at Kenepuru Hospital which could see some families in Kāpiti and Porirua travel 50 kilometres—much further than they do now—to see a GP in the small hours of the morning; or is that an example of the CCDHB lifting services?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: As I have said to that member the spending has gone up on GPs and nurses in terms of primary healthcare. We know there are more front-line doctors and we know there are more nurses."