Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:638;Page:8531] 
5.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he have confidence in the chairs of the Auckland district health boards Wayne Brown Pat Snedden and Kay McKelvie; if so why? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) 
: 
 All chairs and board members retain their full roles and responsibilities right now. The bright line of confidence or no confidence is of limited value at present for two reasons. One is that the judgment may be appealed; another is that there is legal debate as to whether the judgment is new law. That said the judgment of serious procedural error has been made and that is therefore the current position. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What is the Minister’s position now on when he will deliver accountability in the Auckland lab testing fiasco: his original view when he promised that it would happen once the interim contract was signed the Prime Minister’s view that it would occur after the appeal period or his view expressed this morning when he said he may have announcements later this week? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I will probably have announcements later today actually. In respect of the interim contract I simply said that my confidence hinged on the district health boards’ ability to get that done in a timely way—and they did so. I thank all of those who were involved in that negotiation. The interim agreement saves 10 million valuable health dollars over 18 months without any reduction in quality or service. Those savings are sufficient to produce about 50 additional cataract operations for Aucklanders every week. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Does the Minister realise that an appeal may take years to be heard and why is he denying accountability by colluding with the Prime Minister to put political mateship before the public interest? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: One presumes that the political mateship the member refers to is the political mateship that apparently exists between this Government and Wayne Brown or this Government and Ross Keenan. The first Government to appoint Wayne Brown or Ross Keenan to the health system was not this Government but the previous National Government. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What correspondence did the Minister receive in the months following the awarding of the Auckland laboratory contract concerning Dr Bierre’s conflicts and what action did he take in response to that correspondence? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I received from memory a question from Dr Paul Hutchison in July of 2006 that first raised the issue of a conflict of interest and I went immediately to the Auckland District Health Board for its view of that. Its view was—and until the court case judgment came out it remained—that the conflict of interest had been properly dealt with. On top of that of course I received a large amount of correspondence. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What inquiries did the Minister make as a result of receiving that large amount of correspondence? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: All correspondence was responded to. The assurance that the Auckland district health boards gave me through the Ministry of Health regarding the conflict of interest was an assurance that stood right through the process—and in fact right through until the Tuesday before last. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Was the only time that the Minister sought information on Dr Bierre’s conflict of interest when he was replying to a written question in July 2006; if not on which other occasions did he seek assurances or ask questions about the allegations around Dr Bierre’s behaviour? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I maintained a close watch on that laboratory contract as did a number of people including the Health Committee which had the Auckland district health boards in front of it. I do not recall any questions about a conflict of interest from the member of the select committee who is asking these questions. However— 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: That’s because it was sub judice. What an idiot! 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I see. So somehow— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister is attempting to answer the question despite constant interruptions and being called an idiot is likely to cause disorder. Would the Minister please continue. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The member seems to specialise in politics— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Let us just get on with it please. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: —that are destructive and vindictive. I prefer a style that respects natural justice that responds to facts as they continue to unfold and that does not respond to the hysteria of others. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: So from the upshot of questions in the House today is the Minister admitting that the only time he ever sought information asked questions or tried to satisfy himself around the number of allegations surrounding Dr Bierre’s behaviour in terms of this contract was when he referred a written question once to his ministry—and that he never again sought to ask further questions or satisfy himself in respect of those allegations; if that is the case how does he deserve to have a ministerial warrant when he did not even seek basic information? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I sought advice around the issue of laboratory testing in Auckland for over a year on a consistent basis. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Did you ask anyone about— 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
:. I asked the Ministry of Health about various aspects of the tender. I asked the Auckland District Health Board when I met its members the month before last about various aspects of the tender—and on it went. There was a lot of information to be received and there was a lot of concern including concerns raised by the Health Committee which that member was on. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: In the light of Mr Ryall’s attack on Wayne Brown I seek leave to table the list of appointments of Wayne Brown made by the previous National Government of which Mr Ryall was a member. 
Document not tabled.