10. Health Services—Use of Defence Personnel During Nurses' Industrial ActionHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthHealth Services—Use of Defence Personnel During Nurses' Industrial Action10. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements policies and actions?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Yes in the context they were made and taken.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Why did he not inform the New Zealand public that Defence Force medical personnel were being deployed to New Zealand hospitals on 12 July under section 9 of the Defence Act?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The public have been informed.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was: why did he not inform the New Zealand public?SPEAKER: I heard it and because we have had a look at this the Minister could have replied that it's not his responsibility. I think he has answered the question.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Speaking to that point of order there is a difference between the responsibility to inform this House under ministerial statement and the moral responsibility to inform the New Zealand public of what's going on in its health service.SPEAKER: Well if the member wants to continue down that line he can ask further supplementaries.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he not believe it appropriate as Minister of Health for him to have informed the New Zealand public of what arrangements were in place on 12 July in our hospitals including the deployment of New Zealand Defence Force medical personnel?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: My key priority in the lead-up to the nurses' strike was making sure that safe staffing was in place and indeed it was. I want to thank the personnel from the defence forces who assisted with that I want to thank the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and I want to thank the district health boards (DHBs) who all worked constructively together to ensure that there were safe staffing arrangements in place around the country. I take my hat off to them.Hon Michael Woodhouse: What were the circumstances that led the Government to conclude that the NZNO alone could not provide all life-preserving services as required by the Employment Relations Act?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I contacted the Minister of Defence in advance to ensure that there was a contingency in place. The nurses organisation and the DHBs worked together to make sure that all the rosters were filled for safe staffing requirements and that was done.Hon Michael Woodhouse: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was not about the process that followed after the conclusion that the NZNO couldn't provide those services; it was: what were the circumstances that led to that process being necessary in the first place?SPEAKER: Ask the question again.Hon Michael Woodhouse: What were the circumstances that led the Government to conclude that the NZNO alone could not provide all life-preserving services as required by the Employment Relations Act?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The NZNO worked constructively with the DHBs and obviously with Defence Force personnel to make sure all of the rosters were filled. They clearly had some rosters that they didn't believe were going to be filled when they requested the additional assistance. All of them were. So safe staffing was the priority; that was achieved.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he accept that when NZNO representatives have reiterated that a revised offer would require more money to be ratified his continued statements that there is no more money are inflammatory and unhelpful?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: No.