King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 22 September 2015. Volume:709;Page:6839. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements after almost seven years as Prime Minister?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes especially the statement I made that if I were Annette King I would be ashamed of the fact that I did not fund Herceptin when I was Minister of Health. [Interruption] I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I hope it is a point of order.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I seek leave to table when Annette King was Minister of Health from 2000 to 2005.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not think that information—[Interruption] Order! That information is available to members if they so want it. Supplementary question—the Hon Annette King.Hon Paula Bennett: Seven more years of John Key—that’s what we need.Hon Annette King: Yes a supplementary question Paula. Why does he stand by all his statements on health when Ian Sutherland a heart patient with chest pains was discharged from hospital in his pyjamas told to catch a bus to Palmerston North and told that if he wanted to replace his pyjamas he should go to the op shop?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because under a National-led Government we are now doing 50000 more elective operations than in 2008. Under a National-led Government we have increased the number of first specialist appointments from 430000 to 542000. Under a National-led Government there are 5500 more doctors and nurses in our district health boards. Under a National-led Government children under 13 can go to the doctor for free. That is why I stand behind Jonathan Coleman and National in terms of health.Hon Annette King: In light of that answer why should he stand by all his statements on health including the one he has just given us when Ken Smith like thousands of others cannot get surgery for his bone-on-bone knee condition but his surgeon said: “If I could do your knee tomorrow I would but there’s just no money.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think it is a bit rich coming from Annette King because when she was the Minister of Health the number of first specialist assessments went down. When Annette King was the Minister of Health people used to go to Australia to get treatment. I remember when people used to be held out in bays outside of hospitals. The reason she was no longer the Minister of Health was that Helen Clark dumped her—that is why. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I require less interjection from both sides particularly the front bench.Hon Annette King: Did he know that Bill English has said that health needs $600 million to $700 million a year to meet demand; if so why did the health budget receive half that amount in an increase this year resulting in children waiting for months on end with rotten and abscessed teeth because there is not enough funding?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: For a start just to get the facts on the table around health spending it was $11.8 billion in 2008-09 under a Labour Government and it is $15.9 billion today up 33 percent. But just to prove that spending money does not necessarily fix your problems between 2000 and 2008 761 cancer patients were flown to Australia. I quote the Dominion Post which said about the Labour Government then: “It is inconceivable that the Government could spend so much money but make the system worse.” Those are the words of the Dominion Post.Hon Annette King: Is he aware that the Ministry of Health warned the Minister that after $1.7 billion of spending cuts in 2010 “Easy wins are exhausted and major cuts are needed.” which has led to thousands of New Zealanders being turned away from even seeing a specialist?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Let us go through a simple maths examination: $11.8 billion was the starting point of health spending. If we take off the $1.7 billion of cuts that Annette King has told the country about we would be at $10.1 billion but the answer is that we are actually spending $15.9 billion. I rest my case.Hon Annette King: You can’t even do your maths.Mr SPEAKER: It was actually quite a strong a subject of mine but be that as it may.Hon Annette King: Is Grey Powerout of touch—or as he likes to say just rent a crowd—when it protests at the current state of health care of older New Zealanders which sees frail old New Zealanders dumped off surgery lists and their home care cut by half?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I accept that I have not seen the president of Grey Power for a wee while because he has not made an appointment to come and see me. But the last time he came to see me he came to my office and said: “Let’s have a cup of tea. Things are going so well I’ve got nothing to talk about.” That is exactly what he said.