7. Health Services—Funding and National Bowel Screening ProgrammeHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National—Northcote) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Funding and National Bowel Screening Programme7. Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National—Northcote) to the Minister of Health: What are his priorities in the Health portfolio?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Better healthcare for New Zealanders.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: Why is the further roll-out of the National Bowel Screening Programme being delayed by a year meaning that thousands of New Zealanders will not have their potentially treatable bowel cancers detected and people may die as a result?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Delays are another example of the previous Minister's refusal to listen to officials and the sector about the bowel screening programme. Had he been listening he would have heard that there was a lack of capacity in some district health boards (DHBs) for colonoscopies. Had he been listening he would have heard that the IT system critical to success was missing key milestones. Had he been listening he would have heard that workforce planning wasn't in place. This is a Government that listens and delivers.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: How does that explanation square with the Taranaki Daily News of 18 January reporting him as saying that the National Bowel Screening Programme would be delayed for a year due to insufficient funds to run the programme." and why is he telling different stories to different people in different places?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject the premise of the member's question. Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: Point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: No I think the member will have a better go. Hon Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: The member's not going to dispute my ruling is he? Hon Grant Robertson: I just want to go back to the Speakers' rulings and Standing Orders about there being two parts to a question in which a member can answer either part. One of the parts of Mr Coleman's question asked whether he was telling different stories to different people and the Minister rejected that part of that question. There were two parts to it. SPEAKER: I could well have made a wrong ruling and I almost certainly did. But the member will still answer. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject the member's statement in the second part of his question. Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki: What health priorities is the Minister aware of that have not been adequately funded or funded at all? Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Oh where do I begin. Primary healthcare has been woefully underfunded for a very long time as have DHBs which now have a combined projected deficit of $178 million. Hon Simon Bridges: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: In mental health the previous—SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. Point of order. Hon Simon Bridges: I don't have it before me but Speakers' rulings are very clear that a Minister cannot attack the Opposition through a question from his own side like this by referring back—very clear. I can find it. SPEAKER: No no. I think it's fair to say that the Minister is running through issues that he is currently dealing with. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Thank you Mr Speaker. Primary healthcare has been woefully underfunded as have DHBs which now have a combined projected deficit of $178 million. In mental health funding has failed to meet need over the past decade. Less than 5 percent of the $14 billion in anticipated capital expenditure projects over the next decade have been appropriated for. This Government is committed to ensuring New Zealanders have affordable access to quality care and funding health better is an absolute priority. Matt Doocey: Well in light of that answer is he aware both the finance Minister and Treasury have confirmed there is $100 million in a contingency fund set aside to fund additional mental health services? Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I am intrigued that the member wishes to revisit the "Bungle of All Budgets" where $38 million was misallocated. DHBs didn't know two weeks before their financial—Matt Doocey: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: —plans were due how much money they were getting and the money—SPEAKER: Order! A point of order Matt Doocey. Matt Doocey: The question was "Is he aware …".SPEAKER: Righto. Well the problem I've got now is that I'm assuming that the Minister was building up to—I mean he was certainly addressing it but building up to an answer. What I'm going to do is I'm now going to ask the Minister to give a very direct answer to the question. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Yes I am aware that a contingency had been set aside of funding that had not been appropriated because that Government had not funded a single initiative in that contingency package. They hadn't even begun to do the policy work on it. It's a complete—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: —embarrassment for them. It will not take this Government nine years to make—SPEAKER: Order! A point of order the Rt Hon Winston Peters. Rt Hon Winston Peters: This place must not be allowed to lose its character and—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Hang on. Order! This is a point of order and it will be heard in silence. Rt Hon Winston Peters: —one of those features is a preparedness to hear and listen to answers that we hope are generally being put to questions in this House. What we had here was a Minister getting up to define the difference between contingency and actual appropriation and a barrage of jeers coming from over there because they don't want to hear the truth. Hon Simon Bridges: I think the point here is the Minister answered it very succinctly and then he went on to a whole lot of crazy extraneous stuff that brought the House into disorder. SPEAKER: Well can I say to both the senior members that they were going very well—and probably also to the Minister—early in their interventions and three of them lost quite a lot of sympathy by the way they continued.Matt Doocey: Can he confirm that this money will be used for mental health over the coming months while the mental health inquiry is proceeding?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: There was no money allocated so of course I can't confirm it's going to be used for anything. Nothing cannot be used for anything.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: How can he justify delaying bowel screening and delaying new mental health programmes just because he's made so many big health promises that he's now short of $200 million and he can't afford to spend money on these vital services?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject the assertion in the member's question."