King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 31 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12114. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai)to thePrime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement: “We are concerned about the fact that mothers are being rushed out of hospital in a hurry after they have had their baby. This must change.”; if so has the length of time mothers stay at a birthing unit increased or decreased since he made that statement?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes I certainly stand by that statement. Can I congratulate the Minister of Health on getting $9 million extra to ensure that new mothers who needed extra support could get it. It was estimated that that would be for a specific group of about 10 to 20 percent of mothers. I can say that it has been shown that of the 20 district health boards 11 have actually increased the amount of time that mothers spend.Hon Annette King: When he fronted a photo opportunity with this baby—my colleague is holding the picture—to announce his policy for longer stays for new mothers in birthing units what was the average length of stay at that time which he announced and what is it now?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not have that exact information with me but what I can say is obviously that baby could see David Shearer over my shoulder—Mr SPEAKER: Order!Rt Hon JOHN KEY: —and he is crying like the rest of the caucus is.Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not helpful at all. [Interruption ] Order!Hon Annette King: When he put out his newsletter No. 49 in 2009 headed “Boosting support for new mums” and said many new mums feel “pressured into leaving hospital with their babies before they are ready.” did he expect that 4 years and $38 million of taxpayers’ funding later the average length of stay for mothers in a birthing unit to have decreased from 2.9 days under Labour to 2.4 days under his watch?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not accept the proposition put by the member. What is clear is the Government has put in $9 million extra. What is clear is that we were targeting those mums who needed that extra support particularly around breast feeding. That was estimated to be 10 to 20 percent. I believe that those mothers are getting an extra stay and I believe that is why 11 of the 20 district health boards show there has been an increase in the length of stay in post-natal care.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table a policy document from 2008 “Background: Maternity Care” stating “New mothers pressured to leave hospital before they are ready” and stating the average length of stay for mothers in 2008 under Labour was 2.9 days. I seek leave to table that National Party policy.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table information from the district health boards showing the average now is 2.4 days not what the Prime Minister said—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table that document which is apparently from the district health boards. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: If there have been improvements for new mothers as he claims why are members of Parliament receiving emails from midwives like the one I received 2 days ago saying: “We saw no changes in policy on the shop floor. There is no financial transparency. The district health board maternity services are under-resourced and underfunded.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I cannot speak of that particular email but what I can say is that I remember back to the days when that member was the Minister of Health and I remember clearly seeing a number of things. One was significant numbers of stories in the newspapers about mothers being kicked out earlier—significant numbers. Secondly what I would say is that there have been 2000 extra nurses added since we became the Government 80 of whom are midwives. What I do not remember and cannot recall inrecent times are emails but what I can recall is mums getting shoved $100 Pak ’N Save vouchers to clear off out of the hospital under a Labour Government.Hon Annette King: Now they get nothing. They get shoved out. I seek leave to table the email from a midwife who is at the front on the shop floor—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table an email from a midwife. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. It can be so tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.