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: 21 May 2014. Volume:699;Page:18166. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: What consultation with general practitioners nurses and district health boards did he undertake before announcing free doctors’ visits for children aged under 13?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Immigration) on behalf of theMinister of Health: I thank the member for the opportunity to talk about one of the most popular and positive announcements in Budget 2014—free doctors visits and prescriptions for children under 13 made affordable by the hard work of our health professionals over the last 5 years. As is customary for Budget initiatives there was no formal consultation with general practitioners nurses or district health boards. However the policy was promoted and discussed widely by the health sector in recent times including the Children’s Commissioner and the Māori Affairs Committee. I am sure the member will join with the Government in welcoming this policy which is all about providing better support to children and their families.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer has the New Zealand Medical Association subsequently advised him that general practitioners could raise the cost of adult consultations in order to cross-subsidise the cost of seeing more children if the subsidy is insufficient?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: The advice I have seen is that the New Zealand Medical Association strongly welcomed the policy with the chairman Mark Peterson saying it improved the situation for children by targeting services to those who need them most. He was at the head of a long list of supporters including the Medical Association the Paediatric Society numerous general practitioners—Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question asked whether the Medical Association—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I heard the question and I am sure the Minister heard the question. I will now allow the Minister some time to answer it.Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: That list includes numerous community general practitioners the College of General Practitioners and thousands of parents from around New Zealand.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question asked whether the Medical Association—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am going to ask the member to repeat the question.Hon Annette King: Has the Medical Association subsequently advised him that general practitioners could raise the cost of adult consultations in order to cross-subsidise the cost of seeing more children if the subsidy is insufficient?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I cannot confirm whether amongst the plethora of positive feedback that the Minister has received that little barb was received by him.Rt Hon John Key: Has the Minister seen any reports of other political parties who might be interested in following this policy—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Prime Minister’s question is out of order. There is no responsibility of the Minister for other parties’ policies.Hon Annette King: How many consultations per child per year on average did he base his announcement of $30 million to pay general practitioners for free doctors visits for children under 13 years of age?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I cannot answer the exact question but I would encourage the member to put the question down in writing or read the Budget—I am sure it is in there somewhere. What I do know from evidence of the under-sixes is—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister has now answered the question.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Could I ask the Minister to refer to the page in the Budget where—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No the member cannot do that. She has a supplementary question if she wants to continue.Hon Annette King: Is the amount to be paid for a consultation for a child under 13 years likely to be more or less on average than the $74 per enrolled child paid for free visits for under-6-year-olds?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: As the member well knows the scheme is a voluntary opt-in scheme. The Government is very confident of its success. Given the fact that 98.2 percent of children currently qualify for free health-care as an under 6 and the fact that 97.7 percent of under-sixes get after-hours care the Government is very confident that the scheme will be very popular and widely taken up.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You might have noticed that I asked whether it was more or less than the $74—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume her seat. The difficulty I had was that I actually could not hear the detail of the member’s question because there was so much noise coming from both sides of the House. I am going to invite the member to repeat the question.Hon Annette King: Is the amount to be paid for a consultation for a child under 13 likely to be more or less on average than the $74 per enrolled child paid to provide free visits for under-6-year-olds?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I am not in a position to answer that question but I am sure that if she put it down in writing we could.