Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:608;Page:5309] 
12.  
HEATHER ROY (ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What assurance can she give that district health boards will not implement the option contained in the report  
Options for Reform of Diagnostic Laboratory Services Markets 
 to transfer the control of collection and distribution arrangements to themselves and will she guarantee that under any scenario district health boards will continue to honour existing contracts with community laboratories? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Health 
: The Minister cannot guarantee that district health boards will not implement the preferred option in the document as district health boards are the agencies responsible for funding laboratory services. However the Minister would expect to be briefed on any major change in service provision. She would expect district health boards to honour existing contracts. 
Heather Roy 
: Is she disregarding then the advice that district health boards have received in the confidential discussion document and what evidence can she possibly produce that shows that laboratories run by the State would meet patients’ needs better than privately owned and operated laboratories currently do? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Responsibility for consultation on this document is that of District Health Boards New Zealand. It is up to it to consult the laboratories and to work through all those issues. I would expect that any contract signed into would uphold the very highest standards of laboratory services for all New Zealanders. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to draw your attention to the way that the Associate Minister of Health is answering questions. It is the same as the way that the Minister of Health does. If you go back and have a look at her answers you will see that she does not take responsibility for anything. I actually wonder why we have a Minister of Health. If she is not responsible for that what on earth is she responsible for? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Is the Government planning to restrict the number of laboratory tests that a doctor can order by having a national 
restricted list of publicly funded tests; if not what proposals are the district health boards considering to change the diagnostic laboratory services market? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: No to the first part; and secondly the options are contained in the discussion document. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Does the Government intend to combine primary and secondary laboratory services and replace fee-for-service primary care with an approved restricted national list of tests that can be ordered by certain types of practitioners under defined circumstances; if not what proposals is the Government considering to restrict the ordering of laboratory tests? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Responsibility for these decisions is in the hands of District Health Boards New Zealand. Regarding any major changes the Minister would expect to hear from the boards before they were carried out. There are no such proposals before the Minister.