King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10745. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: How many times has he met with the Minister of Finance if any over the past two months for the purpose of discussing Vote Health funding for Budget 2016?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Many times and those meetings today have resulted in it being a great day for New Zealand with the pre-Budget announcement of a $39 million funding boost for Pharmac—the single-biggest lift in medicines funding in our history. I would like to thank my Cabinet colleagues particularly the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance for their strong support of this tremendously positive investment. Thank you for the question.Hon Annette King: During those—Rt Hon John Key: Take your best shot.Hon Annette King: Who was that?Rt Hon John Key: Me.Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Even the Prime Minister should stop interjecting during question time.Hon Annette King: During those meetings did he try to convince the Minister of Finance to increase the Pharmac budget by $103 million a year not the $39 million he announced today in order to reverse the funding cuts in real terms to Pharmac’s budget based on Treasury’s model of calculation from 2011-12?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No.Hon Annette King: Why does he inflate the amount of funding for Pharmac’s budget by adding an $11 million that district health boards have to find in their 2016-17 budget when district health boards have just published a deficit blowout of $46 million and growing against the $19 million he planned?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Quite simply because last year the budget for Pharmac was $800 million. This year it will be $850 million. In regard to deficits we were left with deficits of $160 million and now they are at about $60 million and decreasing.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked about him inflating the budget from the district health boards’ $11 million.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No the question in my mind—it is quite a lengthy question—was addressed as to how he justified the increase in funding and then there was a comment about district health board deficits as well. The question has no doubt been addressed.Hon Annette King: Why has he provided enough funding for seven of the 20 top-tier medicines which according to the chief executive of Pharmac would have higher priority than any advanced melanoma drug?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Sorry just say that again? Sorry.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am going to get the member to repeat the question.Hon Annette King: Why has he provided enough funding for only seven of the 20 top-tier priority drugs identified by Pharmac that according to the chief executive would have higher priority than an advanced melanoma drug?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The reality is that at any one time Pharmac is considering about 50 different drugs vaccines and medical devices. This is the single biggest injection of funding into Pharmac ever—a lot better than that member ever managed—and I think this is a day when she should be joining in the celebrations because actually a lot of people are very very happy. We have just had a text through here from oncologist Dr Chris Jackson of Dunedin—it came through to Michael Woodhouse: “Congratulations to you and your Cabinet on allocating Pharmac extra dollars. Huge numbers of patients will benefit. A great move and a fantastic result.” So cheer up Mrs King—everyone else is.Hon Annette King: Is the—[Interruption]—come on Paula give us a go here. This is my turn.Mr SPEAKER: Order![Interruption] Order! And it is so please proceed.Hon Annette King: Is the $10 million a year for the next 4 years that he redirected from the district health boards to cover the blowout in costs in the Ministry of Health now to be given back to the district health boards to fund the $11 million that he wants them to stump up with to add to the pharmaceutical budget or is it just a merry-go-round of money and a lot of jiggery-pokery?Mr SPEAKER: Order! Two questions there; one can be answered.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I think the member needs to take some advice from her leader who says—and this is a report from Radio New Zealand—“I think we have a bit of an issue. Things about housing health and education we are just not getting cut-through on those sorts of issues.” So Mrs King I suggest that you stop promising everything—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The answer is not going to help the order of the House.