King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 25 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4784. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Yes within the context that they were made.Hon Annette King: Does he stand by his statement made just 2 months ago relating to the Canterbury District Health Board: “there is plenty of money there in that huge budget that Canterbury has.”; if so why has he now written to the Canterbury District Health Board saying that the Ministry of Health is to undertake a financial review?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well the point is that there is plenty of money. There is $1.36 billion that goes into that district health board. We have increased that by $254 million over the past 7 years—by $26 million this year. But at the moment the Canterbury District Health Board is saying that it is looking for some more money specifically for mental health services. The idea of a financial review is to help it to find it.Hon Annette King: Has he seen a recent Canterbury District Health Board presentation that shows that taking account of the additional Government funding received the Canterbury District Health Board has had to absorb around $80 million of expenses arising from earthquake-related costs mismatched elective funding and $10 million paid for the failed Health Benefits Ltd project?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I speak to the Canterbury District Health Board all the time and I have not seen that particular presentation. But what I can say is that tens of millions of dollars of extra support has been poured into Canterbury to support what was a very devastating series of events down there 5 years ago.Hon Annette King: Is he aware that the Canterbury District Health Board which the Auditor-General said was the best-performing district health board has said that the position that the Government has put it in will mean that it will be cutting services to the people of Canterbury as if they have not faced enough?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I do not believe that that is what it is saying but like all district health boards it has to make the best possible use of the money that it does have available.Hon Annette King: Is he confident that the information being provided to him by the Ministry of Health senior officials in relation to the Canterbury District Health Board’s financial position and the pressures it faces is not tainted by personal agenda and vindictive behaviour?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Yes.Hon Paula Bennett: What other statements does the Minister stand by?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I stand by the statement that under this Government the number of first specialist assessments has risen by 50000 compared with an actual cut of 7500 between 2000 and 2006. Equally I stand by the statement that under this Government the number of surgical operations has gone up such that there are now an extra 44000 operations per year compared with an actual cut of 2200 operations between 2000 and 2006. So in short this Government is delivering more; the other crowd delivered less.Hon Annette King: In light of the widespread knowledge of the dysfunctional relationship between the senior management of the Ministry of Health the National Health Board and the Canterbury District Health Board will he commit to an independent financial review of the Canterbury District Health Board; if not why not?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I dispute that there is a dysfunctional relationship there. Obviously you are always going to get people who will for whatever reason try to make trouble—Mrs King may well be one of those. But look the fact is that I have complete confidence in the ministry staff. They are doing a very good job. They are doing a very good job in helping the Canterbury District Health Board to turn round what is a pretty difficult situation.Hon Annette King: Well in light of that answer has he been told recently that senior executives of the Ministry of Health are lying to him and are bullying Ministry of Health staff chairs and chief executives of district health boards?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I know that some people would like to believe that that is the truth but it is completely false.