3. Question No. 3—HealthHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 3—Health3. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: Does the Interim Cancer Action Plan he is finalising include the establishment of a national cancer agency; if not why not?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): It is great to see the National Party adopting Labour policy from 2017. As Minister of Health I am committed to fixing the legacy—Hon Dr Nick Smith: Because you've broken your promise.SPEAKER: Dr Nick Smith: stand withdraw and apologise.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I withdraw and apologise—what the hell for I'm not sure.SPEAKER: Start the answer again.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: It is great to see the National Party adopting Labour policy from 2017. [Interruption] As Minister of Health I'm committed to fixing the legacy of underfunding we inherited—SPEAKER: Order! Order! I'm now going to require the Minister to be less provocative but for the answer to be heard in silence.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: As Minister of Health I'm committed to fixing the legacy of underfunding we inherited. We're determined to ensure the same high quality of cancer care across New Zealand no matter who you are no matter where you live. It is important to remember the history; that in 2015 Cancer Control New Zealand was scrapped which was the one agency at the time with the mandate to provide strong central leadership on cancer control and I do welcome the National Party's announcement that it's had a change of heart. The Interim Cancer Action Plan is currently being finalised and I don't intend to make announcements about it today.SPEAKER: Can I just say to the Minister if his entire answer was the last sentence there'd be a lot less disorder in the House.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he stand by his statement One of the downsides of looking at an agency is having a separate organisation that's not as well connected to Central Government and not able to be as directed." and wasn't the whole idea of an independent agency so they could guide and direct the sector and not the other way around?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: There were a number of criticisms in 2017 of the policy that the then Labour Party had. One was and I quote "This is a bureaucracy that is proposed that will not actually achieve anything just chew up more money that could be spent on patients." That's a quote of course from the former finance Minister Steven Joyce. The strengths and weaknesses of different agency models are something that one has the privilege of working through in Government to ensure that together with the sector's input we develop the best possible response to cancer control acknowledging the nine years of neglect that we've inherited and the uneven provision of services that we've inherited. As Minister I'm determined to own those problems and get on and fix them.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Well does he agree with Labour MP David Clark who said in July 2017 that a new agency was needed and that it "seems to be the international best practice"?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I am glad that the member and his party have caught up to where Labour were in 2017. Since that time I've taken the time to build further relationships with those who deliver the care in the sector and I look forward to the member's support when he catches up to where we are in 2019.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Did the Ministry of Health provide advice to him that led to his determination that an agency could not be directed?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I reject the member's phrasing of that question and I am not about to make announcements today on the nature of the framework that will support our Interim Cancer Action Plan. We are determined to deliver a higher quality of cancer care to all New Zealanders to ensure that that high standard of care is in place across the country. Strong central direction; that's the principle we're working to and that's what we'll deliver.Hon Michael Woodhouse: What is the definition of "interim"?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I think if the member looks in the dictionary he'll find something along the lines of "until it's been finalised by the sector". [Interruption] So it's a plan that is being consulted with the sector on. The interim plan because it—the member smirks but he may not realise that it's actually doctors and nurses and others that provide the care and it's important that when we put an interim plan out they have a say before it is finalised as the final action plan. We're a Government that consults and works with others to deliver cancer care not one that makes up arbitrary decisions on the hoof for political gain.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Well can we take it that "until it has been finalised" could be construed as what has happened with the mental health and addiction plan which took two years to frame and is now back on the road so the Government can be advised what they should be doing?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: The member mischaracterises that deliberately. We are getting on in the mental health area—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Start again.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I don't wish to provoke the member so let me rephrase that. The member does mischaracterise that in my view. The fact is that with the mental health and addiction plan we're getting on and delivering services now. We'll be supporting services that are already working but we take the feedback from He Ara Oranga the inquiry into mental health and addiction which said that those that are missing out need to be a part of designing services so that we actually have full provision of services for the people that have been missing out under his Government's watch because we know that the majority of New Zealanders have not been able to access the services they need in the mental health and addiction area. This is the first Government to take mental health seriously. We don't apologise for that. We're doing it once. We're getting it right."