English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:638;Page:8173] 
1. Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Leader—National) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Health; if so why? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Acting Prime Minister) 
: Yes because he is a hard-working and conscientious Minister. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Prime Minister aware that the Minister’s mismanagement of a half-billion-dollar Labtests Auckland contract in the Auckland area serving about a third of the population has put laboratory testing services at risk; and what assurances has the Minister of Health given her that there will be high-quality laboratory testing services available through this year? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The Minister of Health is not directly involved in that contract process. The three Auckland district health boards are responsible for that contracting process. The court has found that the contract is invalid. The Minister will be doing everything he can to ensure that laboratory testing procedures are in place on 1 July. 
Hon Bill English 
: What confidence does the Prime Minister have in the Minister of Health who appointed Wayne Brown Pat Snedden and Kay McKelvie as chairs of the Auckland district health boards and appointed Ross Keenan as deputy chair of all three Auckland boards—Government appointees who participated in a process described by the High Court in terms such as “grave error” and “serious failure”? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I point out to that member that two of the people he mentioned were in fact appointed originally by the previous National Government. I also point out to him that in the judge’s words the tender process was carried out in good faith and without bias. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can we take it then that the Prime Minister now regards the issue as fairly minor because the court said that it was carried out in good faith; or has she read right through the judgment which outlines in great detail how some of the named members of the Auckland District Health Board in particular Wayne Brown and Ross Keenan did not carry out their duty and states that a half-billion-dollar contract was overturned because of grave error and serious failure? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I very much doubt that the Prime Minister has read the entire judgment; she is busy on other matters in the United States at present. I am equally sure she regards this as a very serious matter given that it affects something like one-third of New Zealand’s total population. However I repeat to the member that this is essentially a matter for the district health boards. On the matters he refers to my understanding is that in those respects the issue is around consultation and I am sure that even the member was somewhat surprised by the level of requirement the court placed on consultation within the district health board sector. 
Hon Bill English 
: Who does the Prime Minister regard as being accountable for the fact that the High Court overturned this half-billion-dollar contract serving one-third of the population: is it her Minister of Health; the Government appointees Wayne Brown and Ross Keenan who are named in the High Court judgment; or will we find—in what is now normal practice for Labour—that no one is accountable? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Clearly the district health boards bear primary responsibility and accountability for what happened in this case. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can we therefore expect the Prime Minister to follow the same path as she did in the case of the corrections debacles—that is to defend the Minister and the Government lackeys until public—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Order please. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can I start again Madam Speaker? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Please continue. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can we expect the Prime Minister to follow the same path as she did in the case of a series of debacles in the Department of Corrections whereby she defends the Ministers and the Government lackeys until public opinion forces her to take some action and then calls for a review but holds no one accountable for mismanagement? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Clearly the boards are accountable but using pejorative terms such as “Government lackeys” is rather stupid and not becoming of the member.