King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 02 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11632. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Yes but we should know more in about 30 seconds. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Just ask the question. Supplementary question—Hon Annette King.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement yesterday that “DHBs are free to allocate part of that $568 million as they see fit” for mental health when district health boards (DHBs) actually received $400 million in the Budget; so how much of the $400 million is available for mental health?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes.Hon Annette King: Which of the following statements does he stand by: “increase in core Crown health expenditure since 2009-10 covers all demographics and most but not all inflationary pressures” or “over the previous seven Budgets the total injection of new money has been higher than population and cost pressures”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The member’s premise to that question is flawed. It is Vote Health; it is not core Crown health expenditure. After 30 years she should understand the vote structure.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Should I table the Minister’s answer from last year—Mr SPEAKER: No no. [Interruption] Order! The member is now trifling with the point of order. The question was asked the answer was given and it addressed the question.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement that the bowel-screening programme is on track to begin in 2017 when Treasury yesterday gave its implementation a red grading for delivery which led him to attack Treasury officials in a less than manly way because officials cannot stand up for themselves?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Oh yes officials are well capable of standing up for themselves and I absolutely stand by what I said. Frankly I do not agree with everything Treasury says and on this occasion I definitely do not.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement that the age for the bowel-screening programme in New Zealand should be 60 to 74 because it is in line with most countries when Australia Scotland Canada France and Germany start at 50 and even the Cancer Society of New Zealand recommended starting at 50?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes I do and I also stand by my statement that Labour despite announcing back in 2008 that it was going to start a programme never did anything and did not spend a single dollar on it.Hon Annette King: In light of his answer to Mike Hosking on radio today what is the amount of money that DHBs will have to absorb in related costs to the bowel-screening programme and is that money to be taken out of DHB budgets over the next 4 years?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: It is quite clear: there is $39.3 million over 4 years in this Budget to commence the roll-out and that is the money that will fund that roll-out and some of the broader national costs. But it is primarily for Wairarapa and Hutt Valley and there is a progressive roll-out over the next 3 years for the other 17 DHBs because we are including Waitematā with the first three as well.Hon Damien O’Connor: When the Minister told the House on Tuesday that the Grey Base Hospital build was under way did he know that contracts for building wiring and construction had not been finalised—the only action was to shift a crane on to the site—and is this another of his premature pronouncements for which he is becoming well known?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well at least I am able to make a pronouncement rather than that member who will not even say whether he backs the Labour-Greens deal. The clear fact is that the work has started and the advice I have had is that the contracts have been signed. But you can see there is going to be more of this trouble coming for Labour and the Greens.