Foster-Bell Paul: Reports — Inquiry into Improving Child Health Outcomes and Preventing Child Abuse with a Focus from Preconception Until Three Years of Age (Volumes 1 and 2)Text is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFoster-Bell Paul: Reports — Inquiry into Improving Child Health Outcomes and Preventing Child Abuse with a Focus from Preconception Until Three Years of Age (Volumes 1 and 2)[Sitting date: 10 December 2013. Volume:695;Page:15464. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]PAUL FOSTER-BELL (National): It is a pleasure to take a call in this debate on the Health Committee’s report on theInquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse with a focus from preconception until three years of age (Volumes 1 and 2). In continuing with the bipartisan theme of this debate and in the seasonal spirit of goodwill that seems to be emanating from the House at the moment I want to acknowledge all members of the Health Committee—not only the National ones and the excellent chair of the Health Committee Dr Paul Hutchison but also the Opposition members and cross bench members who served on the committee. In particular can I pay tribute to the former committee member Dr Jackie Blue who I alsosucceeded as a list MP and whose place on the committee I took up in May. I know she made a significant contribution to this report before I arrived and I would like to thank her for her service.This is a substantive and highly substantial inquiry with a hefty series of hard-hitting recommendations. The committee believes if implemented it will have a real impact on improving health outcomes and lowering abuse rates which tragically remain far too high in this country.Given the time constraints of this debate I want to single out one or two areas in which I believe there is particular importance. We report in the inquiry that immunisation is the most effective evidence-based way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases that previously caused severe morbidity and mortality rates. The committee had already undertaken considerable work in this area.A report was published in 2011 on how to improve completion rates of childhood immunisation so it has been very satisfying to see that immunisation completion rates for New Zealand children increased from a totally unacceptable 67 percent of 2-year-olds in 2007 to over 93 percent in 2013. The Minister of Heath the Hon Tony Ryall is to be congratulated on setting these high targets and on his unequivocal and unrelenting support for district health boards to deliver this essential prophylactic against serious life-threatening misery-creating and often very expensive communicable diseases.Twelve district health boards have reported that their Māori completion rates are now even higher than those for non-Māori. This is a historic achievement and one that other countries with disadvantaged indigenous communities could do well to emulate. The hardworking teams of professionals often using innovative methods to access hard-to-reach children deserve our gratitude for delivering on this essential target.Although the target of 90 percent of 8-month-olds completing their primary course of immunisation by 2014 is already met and a higher target of 95 percent of 8-month-olds by 2017 has been set there are still many children who are not immunised and to achieve this higher target New Zealand will need to make a strong commitment to children’s immunisation. We have done well but we cannot relax and we cannot sit on our laurels yet.This inquiry makes a number of recommendations for further actions in this area. We recommend to the Government that it requires the enrolment of children in general practitioner health services before discharge from the post-natal ward to ensure that they continue to engage with primary care and also Well Child services. We have suggested the continued implementation of the Ministry of Health’s action plan to enrol engage promote and monitor to achieve these higher immunisation targets. We recommend further improvements to local monitoring and engagement among health professionals and we support more choice for young people by allowing youth health services to advise on and manage vaccinations especially for rubella and human papilloma virus. We also back the implementation of the advice of the Immunisation Advisory Centre regarding hard-to-reach children and populations. We believe that these combined with some of the other recommendations in the field of immunisation will underpin a truly first class set of outcomes in this area and enable New Zealand to become a world leader in preventing the spread of infectious diseases so that we can ensure that the lives of the youngest members of our society are not blighted by such diseases.I would like to add my thanks to the thanks of other members to the officials and the advisers and in particular I thank our Health Committee staff Arwel Charlotte and Tina-Marie who assisted with the drafting of this report. I believe that this report’s recommendations from maternal and infant nutrition through to early childhoodeducation from oral health to alcohol and tobacco are very worthwhile. I commend it to all members and wish you Mr Assistant Speaker a very merry Christmas.