11. Question No. 11—COVID-19 ResponseCHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 ResponseQuestion No. 11—COVID-19 Response11. CHRIS BISHOP (National) to the Minister for COVID-19 Response: How many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered across each of the Government's COVID-19 vaccine subgroups and is he satisfied with the vaccine roll-out in New Zealand?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for COVID-19 Response): Across each of the groups 759361 New Zealanders have received a first dose and 490835 have received a second dose.Chris Bishop: Point of order Mr Speaker. Firstly the second part of the question was not addressed and secondly the question was how many people in each of the Government's COVID-19 vaccine subgroups"—we just got a total answer for across the country.Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker. My apologies: in answer to the second part of the question it should have been "Yes." But actually the member's question doesn't ask about the number of people in each of the groups; it asks about the doses delivered across each of the groups.SPEAKER: The member's right and if it was the way the member interpreted it I think if there are—are there four groups?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yeah.SPEAKER: Well that would be five questions.Chris Bishop: Well point of order Mr Speaker. This question has been asked previously in each of the last two weeks—including last week exactly a week ago today—and the Minister has been able to answer across each of the seven subgroups: 1a 1b; 2a b; and 3a b and c. I don't understand what—well I know why he doesn't want to answer it; it's because he wants to announce the results tomorrow on Wednesday and not answer the question the primary question on notice today. But that doesn't obviate his responsibility to the House to give us the answers today.SPEAKER: Well if the member had asked the right question it would have been fine.Chris Bishop: Well point of order Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: No we're having no further points of order on this. Does the member want another supplementary or not?Chris Bishop: Yes. Why has Canterbury the country's second-biggest region by population only administered 4400 first doses or 2 percent to those in group 3 of the roll-out?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: In terms of the doses administered by priority groups Canterbury have administered 19342 doses in group 1; 74933 doses in group 2; 7143 doses in group 3; and 2081 doses in group 4.Chris Bishop: How can Cantabrians have confidence in the vaccine roll-out when their DHB has stated they expect to be vaccinating group 3 until mid-September and that "most vaccinations for people in group 4 in Canterbury will start from mid-September"? Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The Ministry of Health are providing to Canterbury the doses that they have asked for in order to fulfil the delivery plan that they have agreed with the Ministry of Health.Chris Bishop: Has he seen the comments of the Prime Minister yesterday in relation to 75-year-olds with health problems that "we've been advised that at least they have received what they can expect and when they can expect to be vaccinated." and how does he square that with the comments of Simon Wallace of the rest home association that in a couple of DHBs they have not even started vaccinating on their first doses?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: All DHBs have started vaccinating group 3 and did so some time ago now. In terms of communicating with people in group 3 about when they can expect to be booked in for a vaccine as is now well-canvassed notifications around that went out last week to individual recipients using the records provided by their primary health provider. If people in that 65-plus age bracket have not heard about when they can expect to receive an invitation to book in for the vaccine their first port of call should be to contact their primary health provider their GP practice. It could be that the contact details provided are out of date.Chris Bishop: Does he stand by his comment that "New Zealand will be at the front of the queue" for the COVID-19 vaccine when as of now we are last in the OECD with just 23 vaccination doses administered per 100 people?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes in the context in which I made that statement. At the time I was talking about the fact that no vaccines at that point had come to the market and New Zealand had advance purchase agreements with four different vaccines so that as they came to market we would have access to them.Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to come back to my primary question and ask: how is it acceptable for the Minister to answer in the way he did? It is very clear: it refers to the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being delivered across each of the Government's COVID-19 vaccine subgroups and we did not get the numbers for each of the subgroups.SPEAKER: OK. Well I'm pleased the member has raised this point of order because it gives me the opportunity to indicate to him that the question he asked today was not the question he asked last week. Last week he asked "in each of the subgroups" and today he asked "across each of the subgroups". There is a difference and if the member wants a consistent answer he should ask the same question.Chris Bishop: Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: A supplementary question Chris Bishop.Chris Bishop: No it's a point of order.SPEAKER: No no I've dealt with that. I've had enough of this. Is there a further supplementary? No? All right. OK."