8. Question No. 8—HealthDr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 8—Health8. Dr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of Health: How does she explain Health NZ statements that emergency department wait-time data could be two or three [quarterly] reports away" and have emergency department wait times increased or decreased this year to date?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): In answer to the first part of the question the statement from Dr Richard Sullivan interim national medical lead for Te Whatu Ora was that the publication of emergency department (ED) admissions data will be delayed—not emergency department wait times. To answer the second part of this question about emergency department wait times Te Whatu Ora recently published its clinical performance metrics for the reporting period January to March 2023. Overall the proportion of emergency department stays under six hours decreased by 9 percent for the period from January to March 2022 to January to March 2023. ED presentations also increased by 9 percent during the same period. Te Whatu Ora does not yet have validated data available for the April to June 2023 quarter. Dr Shane Reti: Will all 12 of the health performance indicators be reported going forward and if not which will not be reported?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Indeed the approach outlined following the publication of the report into these matters is that all 12 will be. However there is a delay in the data for ED admissions because there is variation—as is gone into in great length in that report—in the way in which the admissions are coded.Dr Shane Reti: Is the delay in ED admissions and ED wait times?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: If the member had read the last quarterly report he would be aware that data on the shorter stays in ED figure—commonly called the ED wait times—has been published.Dr Shane Reti: Has she or her office had any involvement in preventing ED wait times from being publicly reported and if so what involvement?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: Throughout this discussion about the importance of this data I have maintained that it is incredibly important that this data is available and that this report was undertaken in order to make sure that high-quality data is available and I back the team to make sure they have the right data before it is published.Dr Shane Reti: Point of order Mr Speaker. I asked if her or her office had any involvement in preventing the publication of ED wait time data.SPEAKER: Does the member want to ask the question again? Dr Shane Reti: Certainly. Has she or her office had any involvement in preventing ED wait times from being publicly reported and if so what involvement?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I have at the time that—no—at the reports that—the role of my office has to be—has been to request that Te Whatu Ora publish the correct data.SPEAKER: I'll give the member an additional question if he wishes to take it.Dr Shane Reti: Has she issued any instructions to officials to withhold ED wait time data and if so when?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: The member raised concerns publicly about errors in emergency department data. I asked Te Whatu Ora to ensure they publish the correct data.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Point of order Mr Speaker. I could see you thinking very carefully about that answer and I suggest to you that it still wasn't addressed. Dr Reti asked not whether data should be published when it is accurate but whether the Minister or her office had an involvement in the delay of that data.Hon Kieran McAnulty: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker. Thank you Mr Speaker. Consistently you have never required a yes or no answer to such a question. On three occasions the Minister made quite clear what her involvement was in that process.SPEAKER: The member is correct; I was thinking really carefully about it. In hindsight I probably should have offered another question. I think it hasn't been addressed so I'm going to ask the member to ask it again. Dr Shane Reti: Has she at any time offered instructions to her office to withhold the public reporting of ED wait time data and if so when?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: There was a protracted period of time where there were concerns about the accuracy of ED data that Te Whatu Ora held and consistently throughout that I maintained a position that the correct data should not be released—sorry the correct data should be released. SPEAKER: Question—[Interruption] Order! Be quiet. [Interruption] Quiet!"