Yang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13318. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Dr JIAN YANG (National) to theMinister of Health: What progress is the Government making in improving waiting times for elective services?Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health): The Government is working towards having no patients waiting more than 18 weeks once they are booked for a first appointment with a hospital specialist by the end of next year. To help achieve this step targets of no patients waiting more than 6 months shortening to 5 months for a first specialist assessment have been set. Because an extra 40000 patients a year are now being seen by specialists I am able to report that the number of people waiting over 6 months to see specialists has been reduced from around 23000 in 2005 to at June this year only nine patients. Nineteen of the 20 district health boards had none.Dr Jian Yang: What reports has he seen that show the tremendous progress that has been made with reducing waiting times?Hon TONY RYALL: I have seen a number of reports confirming the dramatic reductions in the number of patients waiting over 6 months but none has laid out the huge improvements as clearly as in the response to an Official Information Act request from the Opposition health spokesperson Mrs King. Mrs King requested under the Official Information Act to know how many patients were waiting over 6 months for surgery and assessments when she was Minister in June 2005 and how many in Junethis year. The answer is an incredible 31000 patients waiting over 6 months in 2005 and now—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I listened to that supplementary question very carefully. The question asked what reports has the Minister seen. I am waiting for the identification of the report not some sort of Official Information Act answer. That is not a report. We are waiting for that response and thus far he has not got to it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the Minister says that he has received such a report and he is detailing that report that is in order.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question asked for—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. The member raised his first point of order and I ruled on that. If the member has a fresh point of order I will hear it but if the member is going to rise to his feet and relitigate that then that will lead to disorder and I will be asking the member to leave the Chamber. If he has a fresh point of order I am happy to hear it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well I would like some clarification then because I understood that the Minister would eventually as you said get to a report. Are you saying that he is yet to get to the point where he does come within the question he was asked?Mr SPEAKER: No I think in fact that the member was well and truly getting within that point but if the member wants to listen a bit further it might be clarified to his satisfaction. At this stage it has actually been clarified to my satisfaction. Would the Minister like to continue his answer.Hon TONY RYALL: The answer is an incredible 31000 patients waiting for over 6 months in 2005 and now it is 20. Earlier assessments and operations are better for the health of thousands of New Zealanders and their families.