Marcroft Jenny; Tolley AnneJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It is my pleasure to speak on the Health (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill on behalf of New Zealand First. I'd like to mention Associate Minister of Health Genter's comments last night about the strong controls that will come over the register following this piece of legislation and I'd also like to mention Dr Shane Reti giving us his practitioner's perspective that this legislation will in fact create a better tool for the screening programme. I also would like to thank the member for his detailed account of the actual tools that are used in the process of taking a smear. That was highly enlightening for those that maybe haven't yet had a smear or maybe will never have one. I'd also like to comment on Dr Coleman's contribution that the cervical screening programme is in fact vital for maintaining the health of women in this country. That is why we are debating this issue and this piece of legislation today.Essentially this technical update on information sharing on the cervical screening programme is a very good and necessary and common-sense piece of legislation. The bill will amend Part 4A of the Health Act 1956 to enable health professionals who provide services to women along the cervical screening pathway and screening support services—those staff—to directly access information from the register for the purposes of conducting their work. So just what is the National Cervical Screening Programme register? Well this essential database stores the screening histories cervical smears colposcopies and HPV results of women who participate in the programme. It will facilitate also the recall in women and the monitoring of the programme performance.The National Cervical Screening Programme set up in 1990—seems like an eternity ago now—aims to reduce the number of women in New Zealand who develop cervical cancer and the number who die from it. Let's just take a look at those numbers now. If we look at the worldwide statistics—528000 new cases of cervical cancer worldwide in 2012. It's the fourth most common cancer in women internationally—266000 deaths due to cervical cancer. Now if we drill down into the figures from New Zealand the incidence of cervical cancer has been declining steadily in New Zealand and that is thanks to this screening programme. In 1999 there were 71 deaths in New Zealand from cervical cancer; in 2013—that's the latest data that we have—there were just 54 deaths from cervical cancer. That's a 31 percent decrease. The rate of death from cervical cancer in 1999 in the general population was three women in 100000; by 2013 the latest data we have it almost halved to 1.7 in 100000.But when we look at the statistics for Māori and Pasifika they have a higher rate of receiving a cervical cancer diagnosis and a higher rate of dying from the disease. In 2013 the rate of death from cervical cancer for Māori women was four per 100000. The number of women in the general population who received a cervical cancer diagnosis was 6.3 per 100000 but for Māori women it was 12.7 and that was in 2013.So why are these changes necessary? At the present time when the smear is taken in primary care they need to wait for clinical information to be faxed to those practitioners. Now I don't know but I certainly haven't been faxed in a very long time. Nil by fax in our household—we don't even have one gathering dust in the garage. So it's time for this technology change and in doing this piece of legislation we will update this technology to enable a far more efficient service so those practitioners can access that information.We'd just like to note that this look-up access to the register will mean that health providers that are working along the cervical screening pathway will be able to access that information through their computer in their place of work. They'll be able to log on to the register they'll be able to put in their username and password and they'll be able to view but not amend the information. Now that's a very important point—not being able to amend that clinical information on those women involved in the programme.New Zealand First noted that there was no mention of researchers in the policy statement—the general policy statement—and it wasn't until we really looked at the bill that we noted that researchers were included there so we needed to ask the Minister for a response on that. Her response was that researchers will not gain direct access to the register as a result of the bill. In fact the situation for researchers does not change as a result of the bill and we're pleased about that along with the Privacy Commissioner's statement that it is satisfied the proposed amendments are consistent with the principles set out in the Privacy Act 1993 and the Health Information Privacy Code 1994.So what are the barriers for women having regular smear tests? Many are scared. They're afraid of the result. They simply forget—it's not really something you really want to think about too often but it is a high priority and we do need a reminder. It's very important that we have that first smear test and become part of the register because it really is a wellness programme. Also too women can encourage each other. We can support each other so that we make sure we have a smear test. I'd like to point to a lady Talei Morrison from Rotorua—she has started a Facebook page encouraging other women in supporting each other to make sure they have this potentially lifesaving test. For 10 years she didn't have a smear test because of a bad experience and now she's found out she has stage four cervical cancer. She's started up a Facebook page and it's #smearyourmea and this campaign is sweeping around the country. What she is doing through her kapa haka programmes that she has worked on for years—she's encouraging whole haka teams to gather together. Usually there's about 25 women in a haka team. They all get together and they go and have their smear tests and that way they are supporting each other. They're also encouraging the men to support each other. So I'd just like to note the support that is out there for women who are currently facing as Talei is stage four cervical cancer and to support her in the work she is doing spreading the word.So in summary New Zealand First will be supporting this bill. Amending the law to allow this access this look-up access to the information and the results in cervical screening scans is a very positive step. The manager will retain administrative and audit control over granting secure access to the screening programme register and we note too that a new offence will be created against any person who would amend the register without authorisation. So those safeguards are in place and we're pleased to see that. In brief New Zealand First will support the Health (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill. Thank you very much Madam Deputy Speaker.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just before I call the next speaker—I thought the member coped admirably but there is quite a lot of noise in the galleries as people file in for quite an exciting event later on. I ask the galleries to respect the fact that we are doing normal business in the House and people are speaking but the speakers also need to be aware that people are filing into seats.