O'Connor Simon: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 14 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7200. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki) to the Minister of Health: What impact will the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement have on New Zealand’s public health system?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement preserves New Zealand’s public health system in particular the fundamentals of the Pharmac model. Pharmac will incur very minor additional costs relating to transparency provisions. As promised the public will still pay no more than $5 per subsidised prescription item. Furthermore the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement will significantly boost New Zealand’s export-dependent economy to the tune of $2.7 billion a year by 2030 allowing future Governments greater choices about investment and social services such as health care.Simon O’Connor: What reports has the Minister seen about the costs imposed on New Zealand’s health care system as a result of the Trans-Pacific Partnership?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I am advised that the costs to Pharmac from the Trans-Pacific Partnership are very minor with extra transparency costs amounting to around $4.5 million in one-off costs and $2.2 million per year in ongoing operating costs out of the nearly $16 billion health budget. I have seen other reports claiming that the cost to New Zealand’s budget from the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be $1 billion and that people would die waiting for access to medicines. New Zealanders will be relieved that these scaremongering claims from the Labour Party are totally without foundation.Mr SPEAKER: Order! That answer has gone quite far enough.Simon O’Connor: What was the context for the “constructive ambiguity” quote in relation to Pharmac and the Trans-Pacific Partnership referred to by the Opposition in question time yesterday?Mr SPEAKER: I will allow that question but I will be listening—[Interruption] Order! I will allow the question but I will be listening very carefully and if it is an attempt to attack the Opposition the Minister can expect to be sat down.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: The Minister of Trade provided a briefing to members of Parliament during which he used the phrase “constructive ambiguity” meaning that the Trans-Pacific Partnership requirements around biologics are framed in such a way that New Zealand meets those requirements. Of course there is ambiguity around the Labour Party stance on this issue.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Could I ask you to go back and consider the tapes from yesterday when the Minister accused me of making up this quote from the Minister of Trade but used it today in a question to justify an answer?Mr SPEAKER: I will—[Interruption] Order! No I do not need any assistance. Well I do need some assistance here. I need the ceasing of the interjections while I am on my feet. I will go back and have another look but as I read the transcript from yesterday the Minister did not actually say that the member had made something up. It was not words to that effect but I will have another look at the transcript from yesterday and certainly I will be reviewing the transcript from today.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No I have dealt with that matter. If the member has—Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well I have got the transcript here. I can solve—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not need that from the member. [Interruption] Order! I am very tempted to ask the Minister to leave this Chamber. It is becoming a bit of a habit of this Minister to continue to create disorder in this House. On this occasion he can stay but if it happens again my patience for this particular Minister will not last very long and that is the last warning I will be giving the Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman.