King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:8325. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: What pressures are facing the public health workforce as a result of this Government’s decision to fund core Crown health expenditure to cover “most but not all inflationary pressures”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): There is always a wide range of pressures in the health system which is why we have increased Vote Health by $4.1 billion over our 7 years in Government. One of the pressures facing the public health workforce is the need to constantly fact-check assertions made by a prominent public figure including the false claim that access to—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.This was a primary question on notice. The Minister has given an answer to it. It is quite clear where he is going with the second part of his answer. It is the same place he went with every answer yesterday Mr Speaker and it brings the House into disrepute as well as encouraging disorder.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member may be right as to where the answer is going. At this stage I cannot tell but if the Minister is using it to simply attack a member of the Opposition I will take a very dim view of that answer. An answer can be given but the opportunity to attack a member of the Opposition is not necessary in the answer. Does the Minister wish to continue his answer?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes one of the pressures is the ongoing need to waste valuable front-line time checking false assertions. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! We just need less interjection from both sides.Hon Annette King: Does it alarm him that by not covering all inflationary pressures as he has admitted in this House huge pressure is being put on staff like senior doctors and dentists with 75 percent of those surveyed in a study released today turning up to work with infectious illnesses so as to not—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Bring the question to a conclusion.Hon Annette King: —burden colleagues or because of a lack of cover?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: There are about four questions there but the key point is that actually this year inflation is running at 0.4 percent and we are funding inflation at 0.6 percent so the funding is actually now ahead of inflation.Hon Annette King: What was his reaction to the September 2015 Auckland District Health Board staff survey results showing 69 percent of respondents believe the message they are getting from the organisation is that achieving volumes targets and budgets is more important than staff well-being and the quality of the work environment?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: My reaction was to go and check the facts.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table the said survey. I point the Minister to page—Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no need to do that. [Interruption] Order! There is no need to do that part. The member can seek leave to table the survey. I just need the date of it and I will put the leave.Hon Annette King: Yes the date of it is September 2015—Auckland District Health Board Care Capacity Demand Management Programme discovery report page 10.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has been described. I will put the leave. [Interruption] Order! I need to put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular staff survey. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Marama Fox: Does the Minister understand that amongst New Zealanders aged 50 to 64 years Māori are approximately five times more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Māori women are apparently the worst in the world; if so what is the Minister doing about that situation?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is caused by smoking and that is the reason why we have massively increased the taxes on cigarettes to try to decrease those rates. Smoking rates have decreased by 25 percent under this Government but there is still much more progress we need to make especially amongst Māori women.Hon Annette King: Is a pattern emerging in health with an overworked and stressed workforce leading to mental health staff in Auckland on strike medical physicians preparing to strike affecting cancer services staff working unpaid hours and annual leave not being taken—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Bring the question to a conclusion.Hon Annette King: —and doctors and dentists working while unwell stressed and fatigued?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No the only pattern emerging is the need to constantly go back and check the facts.Hon Annette King: Would the Minister like to check this fact: is the president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Dr Hein Stander right or wrong when he said today: “The environment senior doctors and nurses are working in is increasingly toxic.”?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: No that is a press release by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists which was done in conjunction with Mrs King. I have checked that fact.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister cannot accuse another member of working with anyone and that is a total lie.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has been here a long time. She knows how to handle it. I refer her to Standing Order 359.Hon Annette King: Why would staff feel supported and valued when the lowest paid in district health boards—the cooks at Middlemore—many of whom have worked for more than 40 years not only lost their jobs but their retirement income entitlement because of the Government’s failed Health Benefits Ltd experiment and despite the promises?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Look I really have to go and check those facts but what I can say is that we took very strong and urgent action on Health Benefits Ltd and that member knows that actually there was a need to save $300 million across the health system. Her answer would be to run a deficit. We have actually taken action that makes the health system sustainable. But Grant Robertson would run deficits and if that is the way he wants to run their fiscal—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I think the question has now been answered. [Interruption] Order!Marama Fox: Can the Minister tell us why chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not a national health target under the current Government?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Because there are six national health targets but at a sub-target level it is included I believe in district-level plans.