King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 09 December 2015. Volume:710;Page:8688. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Yes including the statement that Mrs King is a lot like Santa: smiles and big promises but others pick up the bill and adults stopped believing a long long time ago.Hon Annette King: Minister it is Christmas. Peace I say to you—peace.Mr SPEAKER: I suggest we just get to the supplementary question.Hon Annette King: Well in light of that answer does he agree with Treasury which said that Vote Health has received “relatively smaller increases” as a percentage of the vote in recent years decreasing to an average increase of 3.7 percent under this Government compared with 8.7 percent under Labour and is only given a contribution towards its cost pressures?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That is a bit like expecting me to believe that Santa is coming down the chimney but the fact is that we have actually increased Vote Health consistently over our time in Government. It has gone from $11.8 billion to $15.9 billion. We are seeing better services for New Zealanders and it is a better health system than 7 years ago.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the presentation by Treasury—which this graph taken from it is in—which was given to the Minister of Health on 27 February 2015 on social sector spending.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular graph. Is there any objection? No there is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: Did Pharmac get less than half the funding increase it requested in this year’s Budget; if so why?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Look all agencies want all sorts of things but the fact is that Pharmac’s money has gone up $150 million under this Government well ahead of the rate of inflation over the same period.Hon Annette King: Point of order.Mr SPEAKER: I will allow the member to repeat the question. It may not have been answered.Hon Annette King: No no. It is OK Mr Speaker. I seek leave to table the Official Information Act release from Pharmac showing exactly what I said—Mr SPEAKER: All right. Leave—[Interruption]—Order! The document has been described. Leave is sought to table that particular Official Information Act release. Is there any objection? There is none; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: Does he agree with the Prime Minister’s statement about the Pharmac model and decision not to fund Keytruda when the Prime Minister said: “I accept … hypocrisy … in that we rode over the top of that when we funded Herceptin.”;if so does he think advanced melanoma patients should accept this hypocrisy when he will not ride over the top for them?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I always agree with the Prime Minister.Hon Annette King: What polling is currently being undertaken on the decision not to fund Keytruda and might the Government’s position change as a result of that polling?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: It is very interesting. It is quite clear that the Labour Party would fiddle with the Pharmac model. It says it is going to fund Keytruda. Our position is that we are leaving it at arm’s length and that is how Pharmac should be making the decision. The problem is Labour changes its position every couple of days on the Pharmac model and cannot be relied on.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question said—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I heard the question. I was inclined to rule it out because there was no ministerial responsibility for it. I allowed the question to stay—Hon Annette King: The ministry could be polling.Mr SPEAKER: The ministry could be polling. That is probably true. On that basis I will accept the question again. The ministry could be.Hon Annette King: What polling is currently being undertaken on the decision not to fund Keytruda and might the Government’s position change as a result?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: None.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement about Herceptin: “It was clearly the best drug in its class whereas Keytruda there’s a number of options.”;if so what funded effective drug options are available for advanced melanoma?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes I do stand by that statement. There are a number of options available. It is a complex series of commercial negotiations and actually the member would be well advised to leave it to Pharmac. All we know is Labour would mess with the Pharmac model—very unfortunate.Barbara Stewart: If the Prime Minister has said “I don’t think it is impossible to get Pharmac to fund Keytruda.” when will that funding decision be made and how many New Zealanders will be suffering in the interim?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Mrs Stewart you will be the first to know.Barbara Stewart: If the Government can pass Red Peak’s inclusion in the flag referendum under urgency why can this Government not go into urgency now in order to amend Pharmac’s functions and objectives so that cancer sufferers can have some real hope over Christmas?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Because the Pharmac model is excellent and we are not going to tamper with it. It sounds like New Zealand First will.Barbara Stewart: I seek leave to introduce a member’s bill in my name to amend the objectives functions and advisory committees of Pharmac. The specific objective is to enhance the treatment of patients diagnosed with rare and life-limiting—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It has been well and truly described. Leave is sought for that particular course of action. Is there any objection? There is objection.