King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9924. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Has the district health boards’ projected deficit for the end of this financial year increased or decreased against what was planned according to advice he received in March?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): The projected level of deficit for district health boards for this financial year is now forecast to reduce to $46 million—that is $3 million more than the last forecast. However do not forget that in 2008 the deficits were $155 million last year they were $66 million and this year they will be smaller again. Only National can deliver more services while reducing district health boards’ deficits. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have not called the member yet. I am just waiting for some silence so that the question can be heard.Hon Annette King: Thank you Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: My pleasure.Hon Annette King: What is driving up district health boards’ deficits month on month now with a predicted end-of-year deficit of $43 million against the budgeted $19 million and against his assurances that district health boards have sufficient funding to balance their books?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: A lot of it is to do with personnel costs but the wider picture is inherited deficits of $156 million coming down by $20 million compared with last year and they will be lower again next year.Hon Annette King: Is he telling seven district health boards—which according to the latest reports have deficits driven by more patients requiring services than they are funded for—that they should be turning patients away regardless of pain and disability?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No.Hon Annette King: Is the reason that the Director-General of Health has been allowed to sit on the final report on the home support package since August last year that there is no funding to implement the report’s recommendations and that it would further drive up district health boards’ deficits?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No.Hon Annette King: Why is he allowing district health boards to underemploy medical allied health and support staff by almost 700 fulltime-equivalents according to the latest end-of-year results and will that not affect patient safety?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I am not.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table a report that I received under an Official Information Act request on 1 March dated 31 January called “District health board sector financial performance for the year ended 31 January 2016”.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document sourced under the Official Information Act. Is there any objection? There is none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I seek leave to table a Ministry of Health document dated 29 March showing the district health boards’ deficit blowout under Labour.Mr SPEAKER: No if members want that information it has been given in the answer that the member gave. I do not see any need to table it further.