Williams Andrew: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Andrew: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15983. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) to theMinister of Veterans’ Affairs: Are there any areas where he believes war veterans are not receiving adequate support for their service to our country?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Veterans’ Affairs): Yes. Although I think that veterans are generally very well supported the Law Commission review identified a number of improvements to the level of that support which is why this Government agreed a $60 million package to better support veterans including a complete rewrite of the 60-year-old War Pensions Act. I was pleased to introduce the Veterans’ Support Bill into the House last year. It is before the Social ServicesCommittee and I look forward to its report. I should also add that the Government increased war pensions and surviving spouse pensions by 5 percent over and above the rate of inflation and I think that is a tangible sign of the extra support that this Government is providing.Andrew Williams: Why have almost 7000 veterans’ applications—nearly half of all applications—been declined in the last 3 years often on the grounds that the veterans’ medical records were either incomplete or had been lost or misplaced?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: The member is referring to a reply to an Official Information Act request provided to him in a letter dated 15 November 2013. I should point out to the member that “Information is unable to be provided in relation to why claims have been declined.” The Secretary for War Pensions then very helpfully provided data on all claims accepted and declined over a 4-year period. That was probably not helpful in understanding the reasons for them nor whether this indicated the number of claimants who were declined. I would be very happy to work with the member to further explain what that table meant.Andrew Williams: Does the Minister know that in 2008 at the Tribute 08 Government apology to Viet Nam veterans the then Chief of Defence Force Jerry Mateparae assured veterans that their medical applications would be given the benefit of the doubt if their medical records were poorly maintained or misplaced by the New Zealand Defence Force and why is this not happening?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Yes I am. I am very well aware of the speech that the then Chief of Defence Force gave to Viet Nam veterans in 2008 and of the commitment made. To the degree that there are some service records including medical records missing or incomplete where those claims are made on the basis of the presumptive list of conditions connected with the service the absence of any medical record would not be an impediment to the acceptance of the claim. But I do accept that there have been some tensions around whether that particular commitment has been met and I am very happy to work with the member on any individual cases that he has recognising that I as Minister cannot interfere with the decision-making process.Andrew Williams: In the Minister’s professional opinion having previously also worked in the health sector does he consider the treatment of nuclear veterans and their children as adequate duty of care?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Well I do not think my background as a health service manager provides any greater insight into that but I am satisfied that the treatment of nuclear veterans is both evidence-based and presumptive in so far as certain conditions are automatically accepted for those people who were for example involved in Mururoa or Operation Grapple.Andrew Williams: How does he respond to the fact that some veterans at the Mosgiel RSA in his own area of Dunedin can afford to eat only every second day and that the RSA is providing food parcels to those veterans?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I would be concerned to the extent that any veteran was not receiving the entitlements that were available to them and that they were eligible for. So if there are any specific concerns I would be very happy to hear them.