King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 10 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10886. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What is the total amount of efficiencies since 2011/12 made by the 20 district health boards and how much have they made for the February year to date?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): The district health boards have received total funding of $55 billion over the past 5 years and over that time they have been asked to find efficiencies averaging around 1.2 percent or $130 million a year. In the year to February they have made savings of around $80 million or 0.7 percent. This is a bit like the automatic efficiency dividend that was required of district health boards between 1999 and 2008.Hon Annette King: Why did he dispute on The Nation that the district health boards as of February this year had made only $80 million in efficiencies when they are expected to make $178 million and he had provided the answer in written question 4628?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I disputed it because it was quite clear that it was a document that Mrs King had given to the interviewer and my experience of this thing is that it pays to go and check the facts.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to seek your guidance in relation to that answer and it is regarding information that is already available to members if they choose to look. The Minister as you have just heard—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I just have the point of order.Hon Annette King: Yes this is the point of order. The Minister has disputed the figures. I have the figures; he provided them. I wish to table them because he was saying that they were Labour Party figures.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The figures I think the member is referring to are figures I have in front of me too. They are the result of an answer to a written question. That is available to all members. Question number—[Interruption] Well the member needs to rise and say.Hon Annette King: In how many Budgets since 2009-10 has core Crown health expenditure kept up with health demographics and all inflationary cost pressures?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: In every Budget the total quantum of health funding has increased above the rate of inflation. Inflation has increased by 13 percent over that period; health funding has increased by 30 percent.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked “In how many Budgets since 2009-10 has core Crown health expenditure kept up with health demographics and all inflationary pressures?”. The Minister did not answer that question.Mr SPEAKER: No he clearly—to my mind he did. He said that in all Budgets it has kept up with inflation. [Interruption] The question has been addressed.Hon Annette King: For the 2015-16 financial year has core Crown health expenditure kept up with all health demographic and inflationary cost pressures including wage increase cost pressures?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: What I can tell the member is that last year health spending—Vote Health went up by $400 million which was well above the rate of inflation. The amount of money that we put in went up by 0.6 percent. That was the factor for inflation. At the end of the year inflation was 0.2 percent. So the funding was well ahead of inflation.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a very straight question—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I listened very carefully. It was certainly interrupted a lot by interjections but in my mind on this occasion again the Minister has addressed your question.Hon Annette King: Which of his statements on The Nation regarding health funding in real terms is correct: one “We have fully funded demographics. There’s been a lesser factor for inflation.”; two “It’s been ahead of inflation.”; three “We were ahead of inflation over the last year.”; or “I need to go back and check the figures.”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: They are all correct and you always need to check—[Interruption] You always need to check the facts when Mrs King is talking.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the paywalled National Business Review article from 10 May 2016 headed “Health Minister says health spending up but spins on actual figure”.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has been described. On the basis that I am assured it is paywalled I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular article. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the paywalled National Business Review article from the same date which is the transcript of the interview on The Nation dated—Mr SPEAKER: No no. Again anybody can go back and have a look at that programme if they so want.