5. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he have confidence in the chairs of the Auckland district health boards, Wayne Brown, Pat Snedden, and Kay McKelvie; if so, why?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
All chairs and board members retain their full roles and responsibilities right now. The bright line of confidence or no confidence is of limited value at present, for two reasons. One is that the judgment may be appealed; another is that there is legal debate as to whether the judgment is new law. That said, the judgment of serious procedural error has been made, and that is, therefore, the current position.
What is the Minister’s position now on when he will deliver accountability in the Auckland lab testing fiasco: his original view, when he promised that it would happen once the interim contract was signed, the Prime Minister’s view that it would occur after the appeal period, or his view expressed this morning, when he said he may have announcements later this week?
I will probably have announcements later today, actually. In respect of the interim contract, I simply said that my confidence hinged on the district health boards’ ability to get that done in a timely way—and they did so. I thank all of those who were involved in that negotiation. The interim agreement saves 10 million valuable health dollars over 18 months, without any reduction in quality or service. Those savings are sufficient to produce about 50 additional cataract operations for Aucklanders every week.
Does the Minister realise that an appeal may take years to be heard, and why is he denying accountability by colluding with the Prime Minister to put political mateship before the public interest?
One presumes that the political mateship the member refers to is the political mateship that apparently exists between this Government and Wayne Brown or this Government and Ross Keenan. The first Government to appoint Wayne Brown or Ross Keenan to the health system was not this Government but the previous National Government.
What correspondence did the Minister receive, in the months following the awarding of the Auckland laboratory contract, concerning Dr Bierre’s conflicts, and what action did he take in response to that correspondence?
I received, from memory, a question from Dr Paul Hutchison in July of 2006 that first raised the issue of a conflict of interest, and I went immediately to the Auckland District Health Board for its view of that. Its view was—and, until the court case judgment came out, it remained—that the conflict of interest had been properly dealt with. On top of that, of course, I received a large amount of correspondence.
All correspondence was responded to. The assurance that the Auckland district health boards gave me, through the Ministry of Health, regarding the conflict of interest was an assurance that stood right through the process—and, in fact, right through until the Tuesday before last.
Was the only time that the Minister sought information on Dr Bierre’s conflict of interest when he was replying to a written question in July 2006; if not, on which other occasions did he seek assurances or ask questions about the allegations around Dr Bierre’s behaviour?
I maintained a close watch on that laboratory contract, as did a number of people, including the Health Committee, which had the Auckland district health boards in front of it. I do not recall any questions about a conflict of interest from the member of the select committee who is asking these questions. However—
Madam SPEAKERThe Minister is attempting to answer the question despite constant interruptions, and being called an idiot is likely to cause disorder. Would the Minister please continue.
—that are destructive and vindictive. I prefer a style that respects natural justice, that responds to facts as they continue to unfold, and that does not respond to the hysteria of others.
So from the upshot of questions in the House today, is the Minister admitting that the only time he ever sought information, asked questions, or tried to satisfy himself around the number of allegations surrounding Dr Bierre’s behaviour, in terms of this contract, was when he referred a written question once to his ministry—and that he never again sought to ask further questions or satisfy himself in respect of those allegations; if that is the case, how does he deserve to have a ministerial warrant when he did not even seek basic information?
I sought advice around the issue of laboratory testing in Auckland for over a year on a consistent basis.
. I asked the Ministry of Health about various aspects of the tender. I asked the Auckland District Health Board, when I met its members the month before last, about various aspects of the tender—and on it went. There was a lot of information to be received, and there was a lot of concern, including concerns raised by the Health Committee, which that member was on.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
In the light of Mr Ryall’s attack on Wayne Brown, I seek leave to table the list of appointments of Wayne Brown made by the previous National Government, of which Mr Ryall was a member.