Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:645;Page:14735] 
3.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Does he have confidence in the director-general’s inquiry into the handling of conflicts of interest at the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board; and why? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes I have confidence in the Director-General of Health and in the independence of the process which is being supported by the Crown Law Office. I await the delivery of that review. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why was the former Hawke’s Bay District Health Board given only 3 working days to provide comment on version two of the panel’s report—a version that was radically different from the first version—and how can the public interpret that as anything other than part of a whitewash to suppress highly critical comments of Annette King’s appointee Mr Hausmann? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: In the first place that is a question I cannot answer because it is a matter for the director-general. In the second place the member might do well to read the report when it is published rather than trying to undermine it before it is issued. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is it not a fact that version one of the report largely exonerates the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and severely condemns Annette King’s appointee Mr Hausmann for lack of disclosure of his heavily conflicted involvement in multimillion-dollar contracts and is that not the real reason why this report is being suppressed? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: As far as I am aware there is absolutely no report that is being suppressed and I cannot answer the question about versions I have not seen. If the member thinks he has any information here the question is how he got that information. All work I understand has been the subject of lawyers’ confidentiality deeds. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Why did the director-general seek to extend the media gagging order on version one when there were and are no court proceedings that could be affected by its publication? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Again that is a question for the director-general but I imagine it was in order to preserve the integrity of the process—a process that that member seems to be determined to undermine. Just what is it in that report that the member is so afraid of? 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Will the Minister undertake to the House that version one of the report will be released so that the public can draw their own conclusions; if not how will the public ever know the full extent of the conflicts of interest of and broken undertakings by Annette King’s appointee? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: It is important that all members of this House respect the proper legal process that the director-general has employed upon Crown Law advice. It does the member no good to pretend that he has information that he either cannot have or does not legally have and thereby seek to discredit a review that he has not seen. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Will the Government instruct the director-general not to seek permanent suppression of version one because if that report is permanently suppressed the public of New Zealand will never have the opportunity to draw their conclusions about why version one is so different from version two? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: It seems strange that the member would ask the Minister to compromise the independence of a civil servant acting upon Crown Law advice. I thought the National Party did not like that kind of thing.