Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:613;Page:9852] 
10.  
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by his statement of May this year in relation to methamphetamine that “While dealing vigorously with those who make money from this scourge we also need to ensure that we are supporting people who are addicted or whose lives have already been severely affected or destroyed by the drug”; if not why not? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Associate Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes I do. 
Judy Turner 
: In light of the Minister’s support for drug and alcohol treatment why has he decided not to support the continuation of the Hanmer clinic’s outpatient services in five centres in the absence of a rigorous evaluation of its outcomes compared to other treatment programmes and before the completion of the Ministry of Health’s impending review of all rehabilitation services in the central and South Island regions? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Firstly my advice is that some at least of the community services that are closing under the Hanmer clinic will be continued by the district health boards in those areas. The fact is that a 2001 review and a 2003 audit of the Hanmer clinic facility have shown that to provide any more public funding to the private organisation running the facility would be close to irresponsible in terms of the use of public funds and desired medical outcomes. There were only 11 patients in total at the Hanmer clinic—eight were public and three were private—under a contract of $9.8 million. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What is the coalition Government doing to ensure there is the right mix of residential and community-based treatment for alcohol and other drug-affected people? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The district health boards that fund those activities in the central and South Island regions are nearing the end of reviews to ensure they are funding the right mix of residential and community services. The actual date of the end of those reviews is unknown but is likely to be at the end of this year or early next year. The Mental Health Commission is reviewing the mental health blueprint and that review takes place this year. It is looking at targets set for alcohol and drug services. The blueprint is over 5 years old now and this review is timely. It should inform the Government whether the current mix is satisfactory. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Does the Minister accept that methamphetamine addicts who need urgent inpatient treatment can experience significant adverse consequences if not treated in a timely fashion; and why does he believe that he or his Government can provide timely care for these patients given that the only inpatient unit in the upper South Island is booked solidly well into next year? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: My advice from the Mental Health Commission is that there are 132 residential beds in the South Island. There is in fact an excess of residential services and a shortage of community services. Various reviews are going on at the present time but the advice I am receiving is that there are adequate residential services now and the reviews will show clearly whether that is correct. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: With regard to the first part of the primary question is the Minister aware of the Western Australian model of asset seizure being promoted by some members of this House and the New Zealand Police Association—a regime that suspends basic principles of justice such as lawyer privilege and the concept of innocent until proven guilty and under which police seize assets in order to give those assets to themselves—and does he see any conflict of interest or potential for abuse of process inherent in such a proposal? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I did not hear all of the question but I know that the Green Party was the only party in this Parliament that voted against the reclassification of methamphetamine and that the Progressive party which gained significant financial support from the coalition Government in the last Budget faced the fact that the Green Party opposed that budget and therefore also opposed the extra financial provisions we had for drug and alcohol treatment throughout the country. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am loath to make these kinds of points of order but the Minister did not even attempt to address that question in any way. He talked about the Budget and the reclassification issue and they have absolutely no relevance to the question I asked. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: On this occasion the member is perfectly correct. It has no relevance. The question asked was about a Western Australian example. I would ask the Minister to comment. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: It may come as a surprise to the member but I have no ministerial responsibility for what happens in Western Australia. 
Marc Alexander 
: In light of police estimates that gangs are making 95 percent of the profits from the production of P why has the Minister not lobbied the Minister of Justice for tougher laws on gangs such as the proposals recently unveiled by United Future; or does he naively believe that anything less than seizing gang property and making gangs prove their legality will have any impact whatsoever? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I do not know how the member knows exactly what I have lobbied the Minister of Justice on but the Government is looking at the issue of the assets of crime and we are reviewing that legislation. The Ministerial Committee on Drugs which I chair and comprises senior Ministers like the Minister of Justice has met far more often and taken far more action than any Government in the recent history of this country. 
Judy Turner 
: In light of the Minister’s support for alcohol and drug treatment why did the Ministry of Health stop funding the Taha Maori programme at Queen Mary Hospital 3 months ago only to announce last week that an almost identical kaupapa Maori adult alcohol and drug service for the South Island is to be established; or can he confirm that the real reason was that the Hanmer clinic was unable to find a partnership with Maori for what was otherwise an extremely successful programme? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: In the first instance the Maori programme that has been funded is in the community in Christchurch and not in a residential environment in Hanmer. The second is that I remind the member that recently the Hanmer clinic closed for financial reasons. Perhaps there may have been some knowledge of those situations inside the Ministry of Health. 
Marc Alexander 
: How can the Minister claim that his Government is dealing vigorously with those who are profiting from P production when the New Zealand Police Association president claims that delays in testing evidence by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research make a mockery of the police crackdown on the manufacturers of P because offenders are free to start new laboratories while on bail for up to 2 years before they are brought to trial and as Minister responsible for the national drug policy will he formally request additional funding for the institute in next year’s Budget; if not why not? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Only the final part is in order. The rest is directed to another Minister. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The Government has provided $6.55 million to the police for extra resources for methamphetamine laboratory detection and three-quarters of a million dollars to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research for its development of scientific resources. These resources we are advised by the institute itself take years to develop. This Government has taken action; previous Governments did not. 
Judy Turner 
: In light of the Minister’s support for the treatment programmes how does he intend to ensure that the excellent staff employed by the Hanmer clinics are retained in service in New Zealand and not lost to other countries; and how will he ensure that the 350 current clients are successfully integrated into other treatment programmes? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: My advice is that those clinicians nurses and others who work or had worked at Hanmer are being considered by the district health boards that will continue those services and any who wish for employment and are qualified for it have a very good chance of succeeding.