Hague Kevin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hague Kevin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 12 June 2012. Volume:680;Page:2803. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
KEVIN HAGUE (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for ACC 
: Does she have full trust and confidence in John Judge as ACC board chair and if her confidence is less than full what is she doing about that? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister for ACC) 
: 
 Earlier today I announced that Mr Judge would remain as board chair until 30 June 2012. I would like to thank Mr Judge for the contribution he has made during his time as board chair and in particular for turning round ACC’s financial performance from the massive losses left by the previous Labour Government. 
Kevin Hague 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This question was a question on notice and although certainly events have perhaps overtaken some of the purpose of the question none the less the first part of the question asked whether or not the Minister had full trust and confidence in Mr Judge and she has declined to answer that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the member makes a valid point—that this was a question on notice. I think an answer more directed to the question on notice would be appropriate. 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Speaking to the first part of the question my having already answered the second part I had full trust and confidence that Mr Judge would see to ACC’s financial situation which he did. I however reserve judgment on the privacy issues until after the Privacy Commissioner and Auditor-General reports are available. 
Kevin Hague 
: Is the Minister concerned about the reports of multiple and repeated privacy breaches in ACC including private information being mistakenly sent to other claimants and health professionals and ACC’s claims management system being more or less transparent to anyone in ACC including information about sensitive claimants? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Yes. 
Kevin Hague 
: Given reports of multiple and repeated breaches of good practice by ACC in its claims management will she ask the Office of the Auditor-General to bring forward the review of claims management scheduled for the 2013-14 financial year to address the widespread public concern about ACC’s practices? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Well that is an issue that I will discuss and consider.  
Kevin Hague 
: Does she endorse the view expressed by Denise Cosgrove ACC’s General Manager of Claims Management that the organisation has been too focused on client needs?  
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: It is difficult to answer that given that I have never heard Ms Cosgrove make that sort of comment. But I want to make it very clear that I expect that ACC will treat all claimants as though they are claimants who have options as to where they can go for their assistance even though we know that under the ACC system they cannot. So I would like to see all claimants treated well professionally and with the utmost care. But I am also aware of the fact that there are from time to time situations where claimants may make false claims to ACC that it needs to do work on. But generally I expect an improvement in the culture.  
Kevin Hague 
: Is the Minister aware whether her predecessor in her role the Hon Dr Nick Smith approved the ACC decision to focus on limiting expenditure at the expense of a focus on client needs or was this purely a decision of the ACC board?  
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I do not have that information to hand.  
Kevin Hague 
: Does she and did her predecessor in the role the Hon Dr Nick Smith endorse ACC’s decision to target people with long-term disabilities for what is termed in the insurance world actuarial release—in lay terms kicking people off earnings-related compensation—or was this purely a decision of the ACC board?  
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: It is difficult when you have a question like that which includes so many allegations to answer it as clearly as I would like. I am happy however to say to the member that actually I expect that ACC will in fact look at how it can bring people back to independence how it can get them back into work. I do not subscribe to the fact that everybody has to be able to get back into work. I do however believe that where people can it is absolutely in their best interests for them to get back into work because what we do know is that even with physical disabilities most New Zealanders want to work when they can and work is very good for them. It is also extremely good for mental health. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Relating to the primary question’s statement “what is she doing about that?” has the Minister expressed concern that an ACC claimant along with a former National Party President Michelle Boag attended a meeting with ACC officials that the claimant taped yet at no time offered in good faith to hand back to ACC the material the claimant had improperly received; if not why not? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I have expressed concerns about that matter in the past but it is currently being reviewed by the Privacy Commissioner and the Auditor-General and I think that to comment further at this stage would be inappropriate.  
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Is it her intention to apologise to Michelle Boag for giving the impression that Michelle Boag was involved in the extortion of ACC?  
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I do not know why I would given that I have not made those sorts of statements.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Kevin Hague—[ 
Interruption 
] Order! I have called Kevin Hague.  
Kevin Hague 
: Will the Minister instruct Paula Rebstock to return ACC to its original role as provider of compensation and full rehabilitation for injured New Zealanders and will she require the removal of ACC board members and senior staff who have presided over the culture of disentitlement since 2009?  
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Perhaps the member is not aware that Ms Rebstock has been appointed as acting chair for only a matter of weeks rather than months and I believe that it is important to note that there will be further appointments to come and that would be more appropriate. But I also do not necessarily agree with the assumptions in that member’s question.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is the Minister not concerned that a claimant attending a meeting with ACC officials along with the former National Party President Michelle Boag did not at any point in time offer to hand back the tapes which moved ACC to say: “When this matter is resolved will we get them back?”; is she not concerned about what that looks like or seems like in the proper conduct of public affairs? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I have answered that question. I have previously expressed my concern about the allegations that were in the report provided to me and released on 16 March. However the matter is now subject to two investigations—one from the Privacy Commissioner and the other from the Auditor-General—and I do not think it is appropriate for me to wade in there and express my views when both of those agencies are independent and extremely capable of making their own investigations. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Why is this Minister invoking the sub judice rule when it does not apply here? I am asking her straight out whether she thinks there is cause for the Minister to make it very clear as to her concern that a claimant with an adviser is withholding information improperly received and does not that go to the good faith of the claimant in the first place? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Well— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: It is not a sub judice matter. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No order! If one gets down to the nitty-gritty the Minister is not remotely responsible for the good faith of a claimant. The Minister could—and I am surprised in some ways that the Minister did not—simply say that she is not responsible for the actions of a claimant. She chose though to try to express her concern about the whole situation and what she is trying to do about it and that is fine. But the member asked a question over which the Minister has no ministerial responsibility at all. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With respect you have taken the view that the claimant’s actions are not the Minister’s responsibility. I am saying that the officials’ actions are the responsibility of the Minister and were they not— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! We are not— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: —grievously mistreated? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! We are not going to litigate this by way of point of order. The Minister did handle that part of it. She has expressed to the House her lack of complete satisfaction about the way the whole thing has been handled and I think in the circumstances given the question asked it was not an unreasonable answer. 
Kevin Hague 
: I seek leave to table two documents. The first is an ACC internal memorandum from Phil Riley the long-term claims project lead dated 16 February 2009 and entitled “Strategy for the Future Management of Long-term Claims”. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Kevin Hague 
: The second document I seek leave to table is a transcript of a presentation entitled “ACC—The Winds of Change” delivered by Denise Cosgrove and Darryl Frank to the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and it is dated 20-22 November 2011. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.