Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dyson Ruth: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 17 June 2009. Volume:655;Page:4359. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
3.  
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by his statement that “we are living through a time of serious financial pressure both internationally and domestically”? 
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: So why did he waste more than $100000 of taxpayer money cancelling a primary health care conference and was it his embarrassment over that wasted money that caused him to refuse my request for details of the cancellation until the Ombudsman instructed him to release it? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: As that member knows the cancellation of that conference saved the health sector several hundred thousand dollars. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Why does the Minister claim to listen to front-line health workers but then spend over $100000 on cancelling a great opportunity to listen to front-line health workers? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: As that member knows cancellation of that contract saved the public health service several hundred thousand dollars. Many of the people attending the conference would have been flying at the taxpayer’s expense; they were also to have their accommodation paid for. Money is very scarce in the New Zealand public health service and I would rather put it into more important areas. 
Dr Jackie Blue 
: How is the Government dealing with the serious financial pressures facing the health system? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Yes they are serious financial pressures made somewhat harder by the fact that the previous Government cut $150 million out of the health budget over 2 years. Half of all new spending over the next 4 years is going to health; this is a reflection of the Government’s priorities. The increase in funding for the district health boards is a record $530 million. Although the district health boards will make their own decisions any changes to services will not be as a result of a shortage of Government funding. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Did the Minister cancel the conference because he knew that his decision to under-resource the primary health care sector in this year’s Budget would force doctors to raise their fees by 6.5 percent this year? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Official documents will make it clear that the Government is in fact investing much more in primary health care and has increased subsidies for general practitioner visits. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: 6.5 percent increase. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Well the 6.5 percent cap should be compared with a 6.1 percent increase approved by the previous Labour Government but actually the increase in the general practitioner subsidy this year is higher than the increase in that year. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Did the Minister cancel the conference because he knows that New Zealanders will be outraged that the lower doctors’ fees and prescription charges brought in by Labour are now under direct threat and neither he nor John Key wants to be filmed at any negative event? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: There are no direct threats to funding for primary health care unlike the direct threat approved by that member’s benchmate David Cunliffe who last year in the month before the election cut $17.5 million from primary health organisation income cut $10 million from the funding pool for people with disabling chronic medical conditions and cut $20 million— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: That is not true. That was an underspend and you know it. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Oh it was an “underspend”. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: I seek leave to table the evaluation of the cancellation of the primary health care conference which shows that the total cost incurred by its cancellation is $113491 of taxpayers’ money. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.