King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is subject to correctionKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 07 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11681. Text is subject to correction.]5.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Associate Minister of Health: What advice if any has he received on the financial viability of the home and community support sector for older New Zealanders?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Associate Minister of Health): I have received a range of advice including advice that this Government despite financial constraints has continued to increase funding for home and community support services for older New Zealanders from $271 million in 2008 to $356 million in 2015. That is a more than 30 percent increase in funding for this sector in the past 7 years.Hon Annette King: What is his response to the report provided to the Minister of Health from the Home and Community Health Association just before the Budget which outlined the instability of the home-care sector its critically challenged financial viability workforce retention problems and increasing demand for service?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I say to that member as I said in the answer to the first question funding has increased over 7 years. In fact in the last year alone it has gone up 4.4 percent from $341 million to $356 million. I also add that we are conducting workshops to look at revising the Health of Older People Strategy. During those workshops a number of issues came up addressing what the member has just spoken about including making the system truly people-centred and making a smarter investment approach to healthy ageing as well as reducing rigidities and increasing flexibility in service and business models.Hon Annette King: Will district health boards be required to pass on to providers of home care sufficient funding to cover the recent minimum wage increase in light of the said report that states that prices have not kept up with increases over the past 7 years and some organisations are now in multiple years of loss?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I reject the assertion that member made about the last 7 years. What I will say is that—as the member knows—Budget 2016 outlined the additional allocation of $400 million per year. The district health boards are working on the allocation of that funding through their district health board plans. That member knows that.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the Home and Community Health Association report which is not publicly available entitled Economic Instability of the HomeSupport Sector dated April 2016.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular report of the Home and Community Health Association. Is there any objection to that report being tabled? There is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: How much funding has been provided to district health boards in Budget 2016 to implement the second part of the in-between travel agreement for providers and carers of home care for older New Zealanders?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: That member knows that the Government has agreed to pay $38 million for in-between travel and that started in April of this year. In terms of Part B it continues to be worked on.Hon Annette King: When he read the report on changes to home and community support services from the Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley district health boards was he satisfied that there would be no adverse effects on the 700 older people who will be transitioned out of their home-care services in an effort to reduce costs?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Again I challenge the veracity of that member’s assumptions around those 700 people.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table a report from the Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley district health boards that is not available: Home and Community Support Services. The pages I am tabling reflect what I had in my question.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular report from the Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley district health boards. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: What work is currently under way in his portfolio to look at means testing as well as asset testing of older New Zealanders needing home and community support service which is something that does not happen currently?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: As I have already said earlier there is work being done on the Health of Older People Strategy that does involve looking at the increasing flexibility and responsiveness of funding streams. It also looks at improving the integration and collaboration within the health sector.