Hague Kevin: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHague Kevin: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 05 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:643. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.KEVIN HAGUE (Green)to the Minister of Health: Has he asked Health Promotion Agency Board member Katherine Rich whether she ever used the services of public relations adviser Carrick Graham to write attacks on public health advocates and researchers which were published on the Whale Oil blog; if not why not?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health):No; because as the Minister of Health I am focusing on the things that matter to New Zealanders.Kevin Hague: Will he investigate the serious allegations that Katherine Rich hired public relations adviser Carrick Graham to write attacks on public health experts which were published on the Whale Oil blog?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have asked my office to have a look at the Whale Oil blog to see whether they can find any evidence of ex or current members of Parliament using that blog to attack others. The only document they were able to come up with is a guest editorial dated 2 March 2013 written by one Kevin Hague MP.Kevin Hague: Supplementary—Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I seek leave to table a guest editorial written by Kevin Hague MP.Mr SPEAKER: If it is available on a blog it is available to all members.Kevin Hague: How serious would an allegation against Katherine Rich have to be before he asked her whether it was true or not?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Look I think it would be very serious if an ex or current member of Parliament was using the Whale Oil blog to attack others and that is why I would like to table this guest editorial—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We have already been through that.Kevin Hague: Does he agree that the important work of the Health Promotion Agency in reducing harm to New Zealanders from tobacco alcohol and unhealthy foods would be undermined if a board member wearing another hat were to be involved in attacks on public health experts in these areas?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: It is always undermining when ex or current members of Parliament use blogs to attack others and I think we have all had enough of dirty politics. It is not nice to have that reminder today of Mr Hague’s previous involvement in just such a practice.Kevin Hague: Does he agree that if the allegations against Katherine Rich are true then this would be incompatible with her continuing to serve as a member of the board of the Health Promotion Agency?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: What I do agree with is that it is incompatible for Mr Hague to ask these questions with him being the author of a guest editorial on the Whale Oil blog—Kevin Hague: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The questions that I have asked have been ones that have not been politically loaded in any way at all and they deserve some answers. This Minister has failed to provide any at all. Every answer has just been a swipe at me.Mr SPEAKER: I cannot accept that the questions asked have not been politically loaded. I think that in the case of the last question asked there is a reasonable point that the question was not addressed by the Minister. I am going to invite Kevin Hague to ask the last question again. As for the others I think they have been answered satisfactorily—they have been addressed—but I will allow the member the benefit of the doubt with regard to the last question.Kevin Hague: Does the Minister agree that if the allegations against Katherine Rich are true then this would be incompatible with her continuing to serve on the board of the Health Promotion Agency?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I disagree with the assertions in his question.Dr Megan Woods: Why did he wait until 23 October 2014 the date he had to answer his first oral question on the topic in the House to check with the chair of the Health Promotion Agency as to whether Katherine Rich had conducted herself as an ethical member of the board?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Because I was too busy getting around the health sector focusing on the issues that matter to New Zealanders rather than wallowing in this trivia.Dr Megan Woods: When did he or his predecessor first have concerns raised with them about a potential conflict of interest or allegations of misconduct by Katherine Rich?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: As I recall it was on 23 October when Kevin Hague asked the first of his 32 questions on this topic and he has not asked a question on anything else to do with health in this Parliament.