2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterHon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister 2. Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements policies and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the coalition Government's economic plan which is delivering more jobs for New Zealanders and a strong underlying economy in the face of global headwinds as shown by today's unemployment figures with Stats New Zealand reporting that the unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent I believe—a low that we haven't seen in roughly a decade—and in the June quarter wages rose of course by 4.4 percent as well.Hon Simon Bridges: What will the total financial deficits through our district health boards (DHBs) be this financial year?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again—Hon Amy Adams: Doesn't know.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —I'm not going to project final deficits—Hon Amy Adams: Doesn't know.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —for DHBs—SPEAKER: Order! Who was that?Hon Amy Adams: Me.SPEAKER: Well the member will just zip it.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: But what I will say of course is that we have inherited a health system that has had significant under-investment. No one in this House wants to see however DHBs running deficits. We have put in record investment—$2.9 billion in the last Budget and $1.7 billion in capital investment into health. That is enabling them to make critical investments of course in equipment like for instance radiation therapy equipment that hasn't been replaced in some time over a decade. All of that has been about turning around the state that we found the health system in after a decade of a National Government.Hon Simon Bridges: Is the answer over half a billion dollars?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again I'm not going to forecast the final position of our DHBs.Hon Simon Bridges: Why were the figures only released after Michael Woodhouse asked for them on Friday afternoon when her health Minister has had them for over six weeks?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That would be a question for the Minister of Health. But what I am also happy again to remind this House of is no one wants to see our health system in dire straits. We've had now roughly just going on two years to try and turn around what have been projected issues within the health system since 2013 and it is going to take some time to turn that around. We've had record investment under this Government though into our DHBs in an effort to do that.Hon Simon Bridges: Was her Government embarrassed by the size of the deficits?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That member may wish to be cautious given we're having to deal with things like the National Oracle Solution which cost more than $100 million over seven years and failed to deliver anticipated benefits. We've also had to deal with increasing wages obviously within the health workforce. We've also had to put more workforce into the health system and we've increased nurses. And we've also had to try and deal with the fact that in Auckland Counties Manukau there was sewage pouring down the walls no investment in just the basic pipes and no investment in even the lifts in some of those areas. It is taking considerable investment. We are committed to turning it around and making sure New Zealanders get the health services that they deserve.Hon Simon Bridges: Can she confirm these are the largest deficits in the history of DHBs?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No I'm not in a position to do that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I ask the Prime Minister: has she seen this comment? Its started. Unemployment is up. Is anyone seriously going to debate that this isn't because of the Ardern Peters [Government] policies?"; and given today's 3.9 percent announcement is not the converse true?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: That is correct. That appears to be a statement from the Leader of the Opposition which he may wish to correct.Hon Simon Bridges: Is the half-a-billion dollar DHBs' deficit the reason why the Government can't afford to fund lifesaving cancer drugs or do a national cancer agency as the Prime Minister has previous promised?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As we've already said we'll be announcing our cancer action plan by the end of the month. I do note that it was only four years ago that National wound up Cancer Control New Zealand which I see they've done a U-turn on. Of course also Steven Joyce and Bill English panned the idea of a national cancer agency calling it an unnecessary bureaucracy. I'd say that since we took office we've also increased Pharmac funding and also invested now in replacing half of the radiation therapy equipment in New Zealand whereas under that Government they left it up to DHBs who couldn't afford it which meant they weren't replaced and New Zealanders in the regions did not get the radiation therapy that they needed and deserved.SPEAKER: All right. Before we have the next supplementary I'm going to ask the Hon Dr Smith the Hon Gerry Brownlee and Kiritapu Allan to have at least quarter of an hour with no further interjections.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree with Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter who said when releasing sustainability guidelines for DHBs last week that "The single biggest risk to our health now is our changing climate"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Actually globally you'll see that there has been a significant move by those who work in health forces to raise the fact that climate change is a concern. That's been accepted globally so it's up to the member whether or not he chooses to follow that trend.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree that it is "The single biggest risk to our health now"—a changing climate?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member will forgive me for wanting to see the full quote rather than the member's interpretation of what the Minister has said.Hon Simon Bridges: Which ranks more highly now as a health risk: climate change or 9000 people who die a year from cancer?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: National's under-investment in our health workforce our health services and also making sure that we have the basics to ensure that there isn't regional variation in people's treatment are also threats to the wellbeing of New Zealanders and that's something we're working very hard to reverse.Hon Simon Bridges: Does she agree with Minister Genter that hospitals shouldn't serve as much meat and dairy to patients in order to reduce their carbon footprint?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again I'm going to want to look at the Minister's statements directly rather than the member's interpretation of them."