3. Question No. 3—Prime MinisterHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 3—Prime Minister3. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: What led to her announcing the appointment of Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Roche as part of a small team to support Health to stand up the comprehensive testing strategy that we set out in June"?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): As I said when I announced their appointment "So far the roll-out of our resurgence plan is working as we intended. However as has been discussed in recent days there are constantly things that we can and should be improving with our COVID response as we have done all the way through. Cabinet signed off a good solid testing plan for border and managed isolation workers … in late June but as [we have] discussed it has not been executed at the scale and speed necessary. … as with our response in all things with COVID when we've identified gaps or issues we have moved at speed to fill them and we do so now again."Hon Judith Collins: What will Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Roche do?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Implement the testing strategy passed by Cabinet in June.Hon Judith Collins: Why wasn't that done before?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I said in my original answer it was not done at the scale and speed that Cabinet had expected.Hon Judith Collins: To whom does the small group that Heather Simpson and Sir Brian Roche are part of report?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: It will be reporting to the Minister of Health. I also expect that it will be dealing directly with the Director-General of Health as well.Hon Judith Collins: Does convening the small group reveal that she doesn't have confidence in the Ministers she's tasked with responding to COVID-19?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: No.Hon Judith Collins: Does the small group standing up the comprehensive testing strategy have any terms of reference?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes and they're being drafted currently. I expect that that and the wider membership will be released shortly but again as I've already indicated we passed the testing strategy in June and that is what this group will be assisting Health with to ensure it is rolled out. I remind the member that the testing strategy cuts across multiple agencies: border staff port staff managed isolation and quarantine. We want to make sure that we have a regime that will be able to ensure regular routine testing across all of those sites including asymptomatic testing as well as making sure that we have good surveillance testing across those vulnerable communities. That is what that group will be supporting Health to do.Hon Judith Collins: Did the Prime Minister just say that the terms of reference are still being drafted?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: They have not been released yet but will be shortly. As I've said though we already have the plan that they are implementing.Hon Judith Collins: Which of her Ministers is ultimately responsible for the COVID-19 response?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Obviously as a Government we have Ministers that are responsible for individual strands but as a Cabinet we take responsibility for the entire implementation of our COVID response and resurgence plan.Hon Judith Collins: Is there one Minister who she can rely on to be ultimately responsible for the COVID-19 response?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I have trust and faith in my entire Cabinet and every single Minister has been contributing in some way to our response and has played a role. I would happily have reference to my team on a billboard.Hon Judith Collins: Then why doesn't she?SPEAKER: Order! Order! There was a comment that the Prime Minister shouldn't have made and a question for which she has no responsibility being asked.Hon Judith Collins: I'll go ahead then thank you. When will the full membership of the small group be announced?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I expect the Minister of Health to do that shortly but obviously we already have Sir Brian Roche and Heather Simpson already working on it. Again I would reference to the member she seems to be neglecting the fact that this is the implementation of a strategy that already exists. So of course that sets us well on our way."