12. Question No. 12—HealthMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 12—Health12. MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of Health: Why has only $13.6 million or 3 percent of the $438.2 million in Budgets 2018 and 2019 for 15 new mental health facilities and facility upgrade projects been spent?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): A total of $24.9 million has been spent on the 15 projects the member refers to. Of that $13.6 million has been reimbursed to DHBs and booked against the appropriations in Budgets 2018 and 2019.Matt Doocey: Why did the Minister say that he couldn't understand why there was a delay in actually getting shovels in the ground when for example the Whakatāne mental health unit rebuild has stalled because the Bay of Plenty DHB and the Ministry of Health are in disagreement about the ministry wanting four fewer beds?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member is incorrect in relation to his characterisation of the issues about the Whakatāne mental health unit. That unit is undergoing its usual planning and design phase and negotiations about what is expected in that regard. My comment about delays is particularly in relation to the acute mental health facilities which are facilities which were completely neglected by the previous Government and are in urgent need of rebuild and upgrading and the planning phase is taking longer than I would desire for something that is regarded as urgent.Matt Doocey: Why when the Whakatāne inpatient unit reported 108 percent occupancy rate last month alone and the Government has only spent 3 percent of funding for inpatient units is there a disagreement over four beds holding up the building of that unit?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member continues to be inaccurate in his characterisation of these matters. As I've indicated in spite of his assertions in his primary question more money has been spent on the 15 projects that he refers to and in relation to any capital expenditure project in the health sector there is a time frame. The members will know that because the single mental health capital project that the previous Government funded—which was the upgrade to Counties Manukau—was approved in 2015 and opened for business last year. In relation to Whakatāne that project has been approved for funding the design and planning process is under way and it is on-track. The standard negotiations as part of the planning process are in train.Matt Doocey: Why did he say last week that he was extraordinarily frustrated that money was not flowing through fast enough when the master plan for a new 12-bed inpatient facility that was signed off by the Canterbury District Health Board and submitted to the Government in August is still waiting for approval from him 10 months later?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The projects that had been a part of the 2018 and 2019 Budgets apart from one—and that is the Tairāwhiti mental health and addiction project—are all on-track are all undergoing the usual time frames for planning and design and the usual approval processes that take place and for projects over $10 million multiple approval stages before construction begins. Those projects are on-track.Matt Doocey: When he told Parliament last week I have been the Minister of Health for…eight months so we'll get that correct" was he referring to a recent Stuff article that said that former health Minister David Clark "wasted valuable years with indecision inertia and a refusal to take responsibility for the portfolio" and is "responsible for poor delivery of the Government's mental health programme"?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No."