King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 17 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9435. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.Hon ANNETTE KING (Labour—Rongotai) to theMinister of Health: Is he confident that the Government’s initiative to provide “Better Sooner More Convenient” health care is meeting his expectations; if not why not?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): Yes but there is always room for improvement and I dare say it is possible we could get an example of that in the next minute. It is important to understand that despite tight times this Government has invested an extra $2 billion into public health services including achieving the third-highest percentage increase of developed nations in the OECD’s latest report.Hon Annette King: What is the basis for the claim that he made that more than $10 million per year will be saved through changes to hospital food provision when most district health boards have made it clear that like the Prime Minister they have no clue how the savings have been estimated and the Audit Office yesterday reported that Health Benefits Ltd needs to improve its transparency of reported savings?Hon TONY RYALL: That advice comes from the Health Benefits Ltd information that has been provided—information that makes it clear that the claim in the House last week that 50 hospital kitchens would close was untrue and similarly the claim that 1300 people would lose their jobs was also untrue.Hon Annette King: Is he aware that Meals on Wheels are also included in the contract and that the meals are to be plated frozen and stored at two production plants before being transported and stored at a regional distribution hub then sent to a hospital kitchen to be reheated before being delivered by volunteers to the clients and how will this provision reduce costs and improve quality of food for those who receive it and pay for it?Hon TONY RYALL: I think the member is jumping to assumptions like she did last week. What we know is that the proposal at the moment sees 65 percent of the food cooked on site which is the complete opposite of what the member told the House only a week ago.Hon Annette King: Why did he tell the public that the contract to provide hospital food from two production sites as set out on page 33 of the Health Benefits Ltd document was “in its early stages” when Health Benefits Ltd has already shoulder-tapped the provider which is already inspecting hospital kitchens and staff have already heard from him last week that “Some people may lose their job”?Hon TONY RYALL: Because clearly it has not even moved to the formal business case process for consideration by district health boards. Let us be quite frank here: 50 hospital kitchens are not going to close as Mrs King claims; 1300 people are not going to lose their jobs as Mrs King claimed; and all the food is not being cooked at two production centres as Mrs King claimed. I think the biggest apology that needs to come from this Chamber today is for the fact that Mrs King told so many stories last week.Hon Annette King: Talking of stories when did Health Benefits Ltd advise him that the contract to provide hospital food from two production sites which he denied last week in a cook-chill style—airline provision of food with food being able to be kept inthe fridge for up to 7 days before being fed to patients—could “lead to negative publicity that could prove harmful for the Minister” as set out on page 52 of the Health Benefits Ltd document if you want a few facts?Hon TONY RYALL: I have been kept regularly informed by Health Benefits Ltd of its activities. I would have to say this to New Zealanders. The No. 1 priority in all of this is to maintain and improve the quality of food nutrition in New Zealand. That is why Health Benefits Ltd has a group of expert nutritionists working with it in developing this proposal. The public of New Zealand were misled last week when Mrs King told them that 50 hospitals would close and 1300 people would lose their jobs and when she said that everything would be served to them frozen. What we know is that at least two-thirds will be cooked on site. That is quite a different story from what Mrs King misled them on last week. The No. 1 priority though is better nutrition for New Zealanders in hospitals.Hon Annette King: Point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have a point of order from the Hon Annette King and it will be heard in silence.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table page 58 of the Health Benefits Ltd report showing that all Meals on Wheels will be produced in a production plant and that they will then go to regional distribution hubs. They will then go to hospital receiving kitchens—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! That document has been sufficiently described to the House. Leave is sought to table page 58. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is none. It will be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.