King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:9144. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Will he make good on the promises he made on radio yesterday to the Canterbury District Health Board that “if they need more money for mental health this year they need to just tell me exactly what they need because the Government is listening”?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (Associate Minister of Health): on behalf of theMinister of Health: Yes.Hon Annette King: Who indicated to the Canterbury District Health Board that for the 2016/17 financial year it could expect to receive $10 less per head of population as stated in the very document he quoted from in the House on Tuesday to justify his view that it already had sufficient funding?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I do not know who that person is but what I can say is that the Canterbury District Health Board spends around $147 million on mental health services. That is an extra $23 million compared with 7 years ago.Hon Annette King: Is he not aware that the Canterbury District Health Board was forced by demand for mental health services to spend $8 million more than the ring-fenced mental health funding provided and that perhaps a lack of awareness may account for the plight Cantabrians now face because ignorance is not a defence?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: In this House that member has come up with some pretty dodgy figures in the past. What I will say—and I reiterate to that member—is that there has been a vast increase in the amount of mental health services funded. In December just of last year an extra $16 million was given to the board so that they could address some of the mental health services that have been requested.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by the Ministry of Health dated 2 December 2015 page 11 saying—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member now will resume her seat. I just want to check whether it is a report that is available publicly to all members.Hon Annette King: Not readily Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Then I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Is there any objection? There is none; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: When will he make good on the promise to give the Canterbury District Health Board more money if they “need it” in light of the fact that it has already asked and been refused that he said on Tuesday in this House that it had ample to cover mental health demand and that he is poorly informed about ring-fenced funding deficit support—Mr SPEAKER: Bring the question to a conclusion.Hon Annette King: —and even the amount provided?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: It is rich coming from that member around deficit support when $150 million in deficits were left by that former health Minister to this Government. But to answer the question—Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. We have had three answers. The whole three have been abuse thrown at me and not answering—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No I do not agree with the first part of that. The—[Interruption] Order! The difficulty I have is that if it is a nice simple question like “When will he make good on the promises?” I can help. But when the question went on for considerably more than that then it is very easy for the Minister just to address it in any way he likes. If I can get the member to sharpen up her supplementary questions then I might be in a position to help her. [Interruption] Order! The member will rise and simply ask her supplementary question. I know she—Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I responded to an interjection. Are you going to ask that member not to interject?Mr SPEAKER: No I am not but before you responded to that interjection you also interjected and criticised me as you rose to your feet. Simply rise and ask your supplementary question.Hon Annette King: Has the Ministry of Health told him that the Director of Mental Health whom he said is going down to Christchurch on Friday to talk to the people on the ground is the same director who said: “The Ministry of Health does not consider there is justification to provide additional funding to Canterbury DHB”?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Yes. The Director of Mental Health Dr Crawshaw is in discussions with the district health board as well as other agencies to identify whether any further assistance is required on the ground in Christchurch.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the aide-mémoire to the Minister dated 17 March from John Crawshaw saying—Mr SPEAKER: Order! We do not need to know what is in it. I just need to now put the leave as to the aide-mémoire. Leave is sought to table that particular paper. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Hon Annette King: Will he take up the challenge—[Interruption] Mr Speaker?Mr SPEAKER: Is there—Hon Annette King: Yes there is. Are you allowing interjections—Mr SPEAKER: I did not hear the interjection. If the member wants to ask her supplementary question she can do so.Hon Annette King: Will he take up the challenges put to him in the Press editorial yesterday where it said the situation of mental health in Canterbury was disgraceful and distressing and asked: “What does it take for the scale of mental health issues to be recognised in Wellington”?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Sorry can you repeat that question?Mr SPEAKER: I can—[Interruption] Order! If the member would not mind repeating the question the House would be grateful.Hon Annette King: I do not mind at all Mr Speaker. Will he take up the challenges put to him in the Press editorial yesterday where it said the situation of mental health in Canterbury was disgraceful and distressing and asked: “What does it take for the scale of mental health issues to be recognised in Wellington”?Hon Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: As I have already said to the member the Director of Mental Health will be having negotiations and discussions with not just the district health board but other agencies to get a sense of the scale of the need for Cantabrians to have extra resources. Until we hear about those discussions we cannot make any further decisions.