4. Health Services—Funding LevelsHon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Funding Levels4. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Is the Government investing enough in health given the health expenditure data he supplied to media last week shows health funding increases failing to keep up with cost pressures in 2016/17 2015/16 and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Absolutely yes. The information that the Ministry of Health supplied shows that during the term of this Government overall funding has kept up with cost pressures. Some years are slightly ahead and some are slightly behind but that is the overall picture. Budget 2016 delivered $568 million of new funding for health the biggest single increase in 7 years. Vote Health has increased by over $4 billion under this Government. I seek leave to table the documents supplied to me by the Ministry of Health showing that overall funding is ahead of cost pressures under this Government.Mr SPEAKER: Can I check whether that information has been made publicly available.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No it has not. It has—Mr SPEAKER: I will accept the Minister's word and put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: Why did he get the Ministry of Health to compile new numbers on health expenditure last week in a form never used before that is not in line with Treasury's fiscal strategy model and was not used by Treasury's Vote Health team to brief the Minister of Finance on Vote Health?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The reason I asked for those numbers is that Mrs King continues to say that health has been cut by $1.7 million when in actual fact it has been increased by $4 billion. She continues to make up a story about the Government not funding demographics and cost pressures when in actual fact these figures supplied by the officials show that funding is ahead of cost pressures and demographics. So it is basically because Mrs King makes stuff up—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not going to help.Hon Annette King: Why did the new health funding model he asked for which had never been seen before use as its basis for inflation cost pressures the labour cost index which Treasury said does not reflect the actual labour and other input cost pressures in the health sector …"?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No that is not the case. Look this is a simple table that shows the amount of new funding that has gone in it shows cost pressures and it shows that funding is ahead of cost pressures. It is purely to counter Mrs King's misinformation that she has been putting out there consistently. The fact is she is wrong; funding is ahead of cost pressures. Sorry but it is the truth.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table a Treasury briefing to the Minister of Finance dated 27 November 2012 titled Budget 2013: Strategy for Vote Health which has the words I said in my question.Mr SPEAKER: Order! We do not need any more. Is the Treasury document the member is proposing to table freely available?Hon Annette King: Well it was in 2012.Mr SPEAKER: It was in 2012. Then members can source it if they want it.Hon Annette King: Does he expect New Zealanders to believe that the five consecutive budget cuts to health spending shown by his own figures have had no negative impact on New Zealanders waiting for health services?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I certainly do not expect them to believe Mrs King's figures when in actual fact funding has gone up by $4 billion under this Government. I can tell the member over there that actually she would struggle to name a single service that has not improved over the last 8 years. There are more doctors more operations more appointments and more New Zealanders are getting better services all the time under this Government. As usual it is very different from when she was in charge. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Hon Annette King that will not help me trying to control the House. Will the member just stand and ask a supplementary question? [Interruption] Order! Right—[Interruption] No we are not going to have the interjections from the Prime Minister; we are going to get back to supplementary questions.Hon Annette King: Why not admit that he has been caught out trying to cover up accumulated shortfalls in the health budget since 2010-11 affecting people like Sharon Cooper who is in desperate need of knee surgery and has been declined three times in the last year so far?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Why does that member not admit that she keeps on making up figures that are completely untrue? I do not know Sharon Cooper but rather than exploiting that person why does she not ring up my office and we can see whether we can do something for her. Of course when you are losing the argument on funding you try personal attacks. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table my letter to the Minister of Health writing about Sharon Cooper on his request which he has not bothered to reply—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The last part—[Interruption] Order! The last part almost makes me inclined not to put the leave. On this occasion I will put the leave. It is a letter from the member to the Minister. [Interruption] No I need to put the leave. If the member wants clarification—Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: But you need to give the date of any document—Mr SPEAKER: Yes and I can do that. What is the date of the letter please?Hon Annette King: The date of the letter is 31 May. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table a letter from the member to the Minister dated 31 May. Is there any objection to it being tabled? [Interruption] There is objection? No? There is no objection.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House."