4. Health Policy—Medical Cannabis and Mental Health Pay EquityHon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National—Northcote) to the Minister of HealthHealth Policy—Medical Cannabis and Mental Health Pay Equity4. Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National—Northcote) to the Minister of Health: What measurable outcomes if any will his policies deliver?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Merry Christmas to that member. I'm delighted to answer his question. They will deliver better health for New Zealanders.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: Yeah yeah yeah! Merry Christmas to you too—that's you as well Mr Speaker. Can he explain why he told unions that he was delivering on his promise of a pay equity settlement for mental health workers but then within two hours of celebratory Christmas press releases from the Public Service Association E tū and the Council of Trade Unions he had to directly go back on his verbal and written assurances to say the unions have got ahead of themselves … No announcement has been made … [and] there will need to be a Cabinet process."?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: That was obviously a long way from the primary question but I'm happy to answer. And—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume his seat. Can I just say that whether things are close to or not is a matter for me and any comment that the member makes is a reflection on me and it will stop.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I welcome the member's interest in the unions and wish to assure him that I have written to the unions to express the Government's interest in resolving an issue that was not resolved under the previous Government's watch. The unions are excited and they have every right to be excited.Dr Shane Reti: What will he say to the Green Party who believed his election promises on wide-ranging medical marijuana reform but go into Christmas saying "we are disappointed the bill does not provide coverage to all people suffering from conditions who could benefit from its use"?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The same press release the member's referring to also says that the Green Party are delighted with the progress being made. Look we could always go further and in fact there is a member's bill in the name of Chlöe Swarbrick that will give the Parliament an opportunity to go further should it wish to. So this change that we are bringing to the House in terms of making medicinal cannabis more available and accessible is further than any Government has gone in the past. We need to celebrate the progress and then the Parliament will have an opportunity to test whether it wants to go further in the new year.Angie Warren-Clark: What announcements has he made about better health outcomes for people requiring medical cannabis?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Today I have announced a comprehensive package to make medicinal cannabis accessible to those with a terminal illness or in chronic pain. This will include a statutory defence for those who are terminally ill; they will be able to use illicit cannabis products without fear of prosecution. We have also established a scheme to ensure medicinal cannabis products can be more easily imported and domestically manufactured.Matt Doocey: Thank you Mr Speaker. How does the Minister explain his officials' admission at the Health Committee today that despite the Government's promise of action on mental health he has made no decisions on changes to services and the details of his inquiry are not yet settled?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: We will not take nine years to make mental health a priority. This Government is committed to a review of the mental health system. We're announcing a ministerial inquiry in the new year as part of our 100-day plan. We're making very real progress unlike that prior Government which took nine years and did nothing.Hon Simon Bridges: Will the Government support the member's bill in Chlöe Swarbrick's name that the Minister has raised in the House?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: That's a conscience issue—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Yes that's exactly right. It is a conscience issue and it has been so ruled.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: Is he concerned that he can't back up his claims of problems with the bowel screening programme that he can't meet the expectations he generated on medicinal marijuana and that now he's publicly embarrassing the Prime Minister by making promises on mental health worker pay equity that he's then had to backtrack on?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: No. There's only one person in this House who should be embarrassed: it's the member.Rt Hon Bill English: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I'm raising this as soon as I can but before in ruling in respect to a question you made mention that some issue was a conscience issue. Now that is not the province of the Speaker; that's the province of caucuses and should not be used as a way of determining what questions can or can't be answered.Mr SPEAKER: No no. Just to make it absolutely clear whether something is a conscience vote and a personal vote is a question for the Speaker. I have been asked and I have so ruled. If a particular party decides to have a collective conscience then that is a matter for the caucus.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think it's an interesting ruling and one that's certainly new to me. I'd like you to point to somewhere in Speakers' Rulings that would say it is current convention or perhaps indicate that you are going to bring down a new ruling to that effect.Mr SPEAKER: I'll just make it absolutely clear that whether or not an issue is a personal vote based on the fact that it's a conscience vote is something that the Speaker is responsible for and it always has been.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker—Mr SPEAKER: Well there is not a point of order at the moment.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I'm going to raise—Mr SPEAKER: We're not going to continue with that issue.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Mr Speaker a point of order.Mr SPEAKER: As long as it's a new issue Dr Smith.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I have been a member of this House for 30 years—Mr SPEAKER: Is it a new issue Dr Smith?Hon Dr Nick Smith: This is the first occasion on which the Speaker has made a ruling—Mr SPEAKER: Dr Smith will resume his seat.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Mr Brownlee you're not going to try it as well are you?Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well I—Mr SPEAKER: Because it is—we are getting into the—Hon Gerry Brownlee: You've left us in a difficult position.Mr SPEAKER: Well I've left you in the difficult position of asking you to have a look at the Standing Orders and I think if you look around Standing Order 142 you'll work it out.Hon Gerry Brownlee: That is true—that is quite true. However the question remains: have you decided this will not be a personal vote—this Chlöe Swarbrick bill?Mr SPEAKER: It's been inquired of me by members in this House as to whether it will be a personal vote on a conscience basis and I have ruled that yes it will be."