Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Roy Heather: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:624;Page:19233] 
9.  
HEATHER ROY (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Why wasn’t the report  
Review of Primary Health Organisation Management Services 
 dated 11 August 2004 released when I made a request in September 2004 under the Official Information Act 1982 and why has it taken 6 months and intervention from the Ombudsmen for this report to finally be made available? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 The member’s request for the report  
Review of Primary Health Organisation Management Services 
 was made to the Director-General of Health not to the Minister of Health. The review was undertaken to assist policy development and Budget decisions. Following the receipt of the review policy work commenced. Budget decisions were finalised in the last few days. The report was released once the decisions were made. 
Heather Roy 
: Is the Minister saying that she was not consulted advised or in any way connected to the decision not to release this report until forced to do so; and if she cannot say yes to that how does she reconcile her role in this with her constant claims to be proud of her open and transparent provision of health information? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Is the Minister aware of any reports outlining attitudes towards primary health organisations? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes I am. I have read a recent report in the first Grey Power quarterly publication for 2005 in which Dr Lynda Scott one of the five health spokespeople the Opposition has had in the last 5 years appeared to accept the introduction of primary health organisations and was reported as saying that when push came to shove the primary health organisations policy was not much different from that adopted by the previous National Government. I am not sure how National can claim credit for what this Government has achieved in primary health care but it is clear that National goes along with the thrust of what we are doing. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: What responsibility does the Minister take for directly influencing the withholding of this report as well as for not informing the public of the vaccine crisis immediately and how can anyone have faith in her when if something bad happens she tries to cover it up? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am a Minister who does not cover things up but also I do not go out using my title as “Dr” and trying to whip up a political storm over an issue that is not political but is a serious public health issue in New Zealand. That member has done that and he should hear the feedback today from some of his former health colleagues. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister may have inadvertently misled the House when she said she does not go out and use her title. My understanding is that— 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I didn’t say that. 
Rodney Hide 
: Yes the Minister did say that. I am making a point of order. That is the third time the Minister has interrupted. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Minister please refrain from interrupting on a point of order. 
Rodney Hide 
: The Minister inadvertently misled the House by saying in her answer—and she might try to interrupt and say that she did not but  
Hansard 
 will show that I am correct—that she does not go out using her title as “Dr”. Well she is not a doctor. She has no title to use at all. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That may be a point but it is not a valid point of order. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: What other feedback has the Minister received on the primary health care strategy? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: A keynote speaker at last week’s primary health care conference in Wellington which was attended by 600 delegates was Dr Rafael Bengoa from the World Health Organization. He is a world expert on chronic disease management. He thanked New Zealand for its right approach congratulated us on our sustained policy commitment and said that our focus on chronic care needs is an integral part of primary health care reforms. 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Just for future reference so that members of the Opposition parties are clear on your ruling can you tell us on how many occasions it is acceptable for a Minister to interject on a point of order before action will be taken? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I will judge that as it arises. On that point of order I tell the Minister that if she intervenes again then further action will be taken. That goes for all members not just for that Minister. We have been running a fairly fluid game here with interjections going backwards and forwards and it has been a matter of give as good as one gets. However it is getting to the point where it is very difficult to hear the answers to the questions so I ask members to refrain from caterwauling. I do not mind the odd interjection but when one cannot hear the answer it becomes very difficult. 
Heather Roy 
: Is it not true that the reason the Minister did not release this report was that it found that Labour’s primary health organisations are deficient in performance monitoring deficient in reporting requirements deficient in business planning and deficient in quality management amongst other things; or was it because there was such a lack of financial information that they could not even identify relevant costs? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I wonder whether I could seek the leave of the House to have the bell rung in order to wake up the Minister of Education David Benson-Pope for question time. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not a valid point of order.