1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the Government's recent actions that came into effect on 1 April including the indexation of benefits to wage rates—this means benefits will be increased by 3.1 percent more than double what would have happened under the previous indexation to the Consumers Price Index; the largest rise in abatement levels in two decades—this means that people receiving a main benefit and in part-time work can keep more of what they earn; and of course the minimum wage increase to $20 per hour which is estimated to boost the wages of around 175500 New Zealanders across the economy and of course ensure that those who are on those low wages have the incomes that will lead them to spend in their local economies which has an impact on those local economies. We are proud of each of those.Hon Judith Collins: Why has the Government stopped reporting on key mental health indicators wait times and suicide statistics?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: My understanding is that they haven't. There has been a change in how information is reported rather than the assertion that the member has made around there being any less reporting. I would also note that we have had one of the most significant increases in mental health funding under any Government as part of the Wellbeing Budget: $1.9 billion that's going into creating entirely new front-line primary mental health services. The Suicide Prevention Office has been established. We are doing things that have not been done before to make sure that we're not just improving tertiary care but primary as well.Matt Doocey: Apologise to the inquiry submitters. SPEAKER: Matt Doocey will stand withdraw and apologise.Matt Doocey: I withdraw and apologise.Hon Judith Collins: Is she confident her Ministers have followed her Government's instruction to be the most open and transparent Government in history" when it comes to mental health statistics?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes.Hon Judith Collins: Does she think it's acceptable for health officials to prevent the release of what they view as "negative statistics" on mental health?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again my understanding is that the Minister of Health himself has refuted the characterisation of that information. I would point out that that which the member is referring to is a release that has been provided to the Opposition—an Official Information Act release. I'd also again point to the fact that the way the information has been gathered—but its availability as I've been briefed has not changed. If the member wishes to inquire into some of that individual information the member should feel free to either (a) put it on notice or (b) ask the Minister of Health directly. Hon Gerry Brownlee: It is on notice.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: It was a general question Mr Brownlee.Hon Judith Collins: So why has the number of mental health patients being locked in their rooms on their own increased since she became the Prime Minister after falling over the previous decade?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again no one in this country is denying that we have had a mental health crisis. What we have absolutely focused on is improving primary mental health care to ensure that we are not leaving people to tertiary care to the point of acute care until they get the support that they need. Imagine what would be happening if we did not have that $1.9 billion investment going into mental health.Hon Judith Collins: With all that money going in then why did the 2019 report only just get released and the 2020 report isn't ready yet?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again none of that has anything to do with the significant investment that has gone into mental health. If the member wishes to get into the detail around the release time frames of reporting the member should feel free to ask the Minister of Health who's very keen to answer.Hon Judith Collins: So what is her response to Mental Health Foundation chief executive officer Shaun Robinson who says the mental health system is in worse shape now than it was when Labour was elected in 2017? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I obviously would refute that claim. Again I of course encourage all mental health advocates to speak openly about their perspective of the system but we have always said the $1.9 billion that we're putting in across primary mental health care across addiction services and treatment services—it's going to take time for us to build a workforce that just did not exist. So the member might want to reflect on why it is taking us time to rebuild a mental health service that was utterly neglected under the last Government. So I would really caution the member on making assertions about a system where we're still seeing the by-product of that under-investment now."