7. Health Services—Counties Manukau District Health Board ReviewJAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Counties Manukau District Health Board ReviewJAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): I seek leave for this question to be held over as a new question for the next time when Dr David Clark is available to answer it.SPEAKER: I think you'd better add in the word additional" if that's what you really mean—Jami-Lee Ross: Yes yes.SPEAKER: —because you can have a new question any day. You just write it down.Jami-Lee Ross: I would like to add in the word "additional". Thank you Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: OK the question is that the question be held over as an additional question next sitting day. Is there any objection to that? There is objection.7. JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) to the Minister of Health: When was he first told of the Beattie Varley review into audit matters at the Counties Manukau District Health Board and what action if any did he take when those audit matters were raised with him?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Health) on behalf of the Minister of Health: On behalf of the Minister on 3 November 2017 the Ministry of Health advised me that it had commissioned a review into financial and management practices at Counties Manukau District Health Board. The first time I was notified that Beattie Varley was undertaking that review was on 17 November. On 16 December 2017 I confirmed that Beattie Varley were to proceed with the interview process.Jami-Lee Ross: When Stephen McKernan was announced as Director-General of Health on 21 December did he seek an assurance from the State Services Commission that Mr McKernan would appropriately manage any conflict in relation to the reviews of audits involving Mr McKernan's time as the CEO of that district health board?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: On behalf of the Minister as I said to that member last week I absolutely trusted Mr McKernan to manage any conflicts appropriately.Jami-Lee Ross: When Stephen McKernan raised the Beattie Varley review into inappropriate salary transactions during Mr McKernan's time as CEO of the Counties Manukau District Health Board with him as Minister did he take any action to ensure Mr McKernan was properly managing his conflict of interest around the review?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I have every confidence that Mr McKernan was appropriately managing his conflicts during this time.Jami-Lee Ross: Does he believe it acceptable for the former CEO of a district health board when subsequently serving as Director-General of Health to raise with him directly a review of an audit into inappropriate salary transactions during that individual's time as the CEO of that district health board?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I'm sure that member is aware that Stephen McKernan was CEO of Counties Manukau District Health Board from 2002 to 2006 and the items that are under review don't go back further than 2013 in the report. So I do think that the member is clutching at straws.Jami-Lee Ross: Has the Minister taken an opportunity to appraise himself of the terms of reference of the Beattie Varley review which does in fact show that the inappropriate salary transactions dating back to Mr McKernan's time were matters under review by Beattie Varley and the former Solicitor-General Mike Heron and Deloitte?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: The Beattie Varley report is one that is being managed by the Ministry of Health. Officials at the Ministry of Health understand the seriousness of all of these matters. They're working through a proper process and it's not my role to interfere with that.Jami-Lee Ross: Do Ministers including him have any responsibility to ensure conflicts of interest are appropriately managed by the chief executive of the department that reports to them when that chief executive was involved in a district health board that was under review and an audit was being provided to that individual as Director-General of Health?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: On behalf of the Minister yes absolutely."