King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11549. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Will funding for mental health services in 2016/17 meet all demand-driven cost pressures?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): It has over the past 7 years but of course we will only know the actual inflation rate for the coming year retrospectively. Budget 2016 provides an extra $568 million of new money the highest increase for health in 7 years. Although the 2016-17 mental health ring-fence will not be known until district health board (DHB) annual plans are finalised there is plenty of money within that $568 million for DHBs to allocate to mental health services.Hon Annette King: Will community mental health funding receive a significant increase from the 2.5 percent yearly average increase the Government has provided in the last three Budgets in light of increasing demand and the spate of reviews of mental health service failure?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: As I said the DHBs are free to allocate part of that $568 million as they see fit but the key thing is that across the mental health system we are seeing more people more quickly and with more resources than ever before.Barbara Kuriger: Can the Minister confirm that over the last 7 years through difficult global financial times—[Interruption]—this Government provided sufficient funding to meet all population growth and inflationary pressures in Vote Health?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I could not hear it.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister is saying he did not hear it so I am going to invite—[Interruption] Order! I am going to invite the member to repeat the question but there is a portion in that question that is not necessary to the question. It is to be excluded; it only creates disorder.Barbara Kuriger: Can the Minister confirm over the last 7 years that this Government has provided sufficient funding to meet all population growth and inflationary pressure in Vote Health?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes I can. Critics are wrong to claim that health funding under this Government has not kept up with population and inflationary pressures. [Interruption] Just listen—this is really important OK? An analysis of Vote Health over the previous seven Budgets shows that the total injection of new money has been higher than population and cost pressures for the same period.Hon Annette King: Will the funding provided for mental health services in the Budget be sufficient—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am sorry; I am having trouble hearing the question itself because of the level of interjection. I ask for it to cease. If it is not going to cease I am going to have to deal with it more severely. Would the member start the question again.Hon Annette King: Will the funding provided for mental health services in the Budget be sufficient to reduce emergency department presentations by mental health patients which have grown by 69 percent for the month of June for the past 5 years and across 18 DHBs?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I totally dispute that figure but what I can say is indisputable is that out of that $568 million the DHBs are free to allocate money to mental health as they see fit. There are some very specific initiatives in the Budget to take pressure off mental health. There is $12 million for mental health responses at an early stage. That is to support primary care with the triage system—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN:—and to create a liaison service between primary care and secondary care psychiatrists. There is also of course the $20 million for Canterbury mental health. There is another $12 million to help pregnant women with alcohol and drug problems. That is on the back of the Prime Minister’s $64 million youth mental health programme.I could go on and on but there is plenty there.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer if Canterbury DHB does have sufficient funding as he keeps claiming why do its recent board minutes state the increase in mental health funding “will not address the challenges faced by the DHB.”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: What I can tell you is that it has an extra $20 million—[Interruption] Just listen to this—it has an extra $20 million which we announced a couple of weeks ago. There is also an extra $44 million in this Budget for Canterbury. There is actually plenty of money there and the feedback I get from the chair of the DHB and the chief executive is actually that they are very happy with the injection of funds. So please stop making it up; it is not very helpful for anyone.Hon Annette King: Has sufficient funding been provided for mental health services to assist district health boards like Waikato Capital and Coast and MidCentral where reports have suggested there are serious funding issues staff recruitment problems and services in significant debt?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No reports have not suggested serious funding issues. The only serious funding is actually the $568 million extra going in—the biggest increase in 7 years. I can tell you that funding is ahead of population and cost pressures—that is a fact. You need to stop telling people otherwise. You should take down that silly website.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The Minister cannot bring me into the debate but equally there is not much point in asking a question if the member is then not going to bother to listen to the answer.Hon Annette King: Oh I could hear it.Mr SPEAKER: If the member can hear it then she can allow me to hear it without her interjections.Marama Fox: What does the Minister say to the many members of the public who turn up to the emergency department suffering depression and making threats of committing suicide and who are turned away?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I have not had any reports of anyone being turned away but what I can say is that we are putting in more resources. We are seeing more people more quickly on an ongoing basis. Mental health services have never done more than they are doing now. But actually we have got to keep on doing more and more.