King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:11047. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What advice if any has he received on cost pressures facing community health providers because of underfunding?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): I have received a range of advice including that Mrs King met with selected health sector representatives on Monday where to paraphrase the Dominion Post a wish list of items was presented. I would remind the member that in 2 weeks the Budget will be announced and that will include as always more funding for the health sector.Hon Annette King: Is the Home and Community Health Association whose members provide vital home support to frail older New Zealanders correct when it reported this week that its sector has not been compensated by the Government for 8 years for increases in the minimum wage?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well what I can say is that district health board expenditure in aged care is forecast to be over $1.6 billion in 2015-16. That is an increase of almost $400 million on the $1.229 billion spent back in 2008-09. The Government has increased funding for aged care faster than it has increased overall health spending so there is plenty of money—Mr SPEAKER: Order! But that was not the question so I am going to invite the Hon Annette King to ask the question again.Hon Annette King: Thank you Mr Speaker. Is the Home and Community Health Association whose members provide vital home support to frail older New Zealanders correct when it reported this week that its sector has not been compensated by the Government for 8 years for increases in the minimum wage?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: There is a huge amount of money that has gone in including the $150 million for in-between travel over 4 years which benefits 24000 low-income workers. So there has been plenty of money in there to compensate for increases in the minimum wage.Hon Annette King: When he has been listening to those working in the community sector did he hear the home and community care providers tell him that because of years of underfunding their sector has now lost confidence that the providers are at the wall and that the quality of services has dropped?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No they are not saying that and as the member well knows there are cases before the courts around a number of these issues.Hon Annette King: Are mental health providers correct when they said this week that the $672 million of efficiencies taken out of district health boards’ budgets is resulting in “funds being mined from vital community mental health services.”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have not seen that quote but I am sure someone probably did say that to Mrs King. Who it was I think she should say. But the only fact here is that spending on mental health has gone up by $300 million under this Government from $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion per year.Hon Annette King: When he meets with Grey Power—Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: With whom?Hon Annette King: —with Grey Power. I presume the Minister has heard—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No we will just have the question.Hon Annette King: When the Minister meets with Grey Power has he explained why—[Interruption] We have got one of the aged people over there—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Let us start the question again without any interruptions from either side.Hon Annette King: When the Minister meets with Grey Power has he explained why an older person needing a hip replacement in the Canterbury District Health Board needs 90 points to qualify while an older person in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board needs 55 points? Where is the equity he talked about?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: As the member well knows the system has not changed since last century when she was appointed Minister of Health. It is the same one.Hon Annette King: Has the $672 million taken out of district health boards as efficiencies had an impact on the number of nursing graduates finding a job as a nurse in the district health board or the community sector since 2012?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No it has not actually. About 980 nurses graduate each year and within a year virtually all of them have a job in the sector.Dr David Clark: That’s not true.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: It is true actually.