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More children and their families from high-needs groups will benefit from the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society's care.
Plunket will receive an increase of $2.8 million on its baseline funding in 2003/04 and a further $2.8m in 2004/05, under a new two-year contract reached with the Ministry. Plunket funding has increased from $21.2m in 2000 to $28.2m in 2003.
In the 2002/03 year, Plunket also received a $1.9m one-off payment. That payment has now been included in its baseline funding.
The increased funding demonstrates a commitment to helping Plunket achieve its goals in line with the Well Child framework and will provide more Plunket visits for children and their families in lower socio-economic groups who have high needs, while continuing to provide services to those with lower needs.
All children and their families have a right to healthcare, no matter what their economic situation.
Plunket will continue to provide care for children of all needs, while putting additional resources and services into high-needs groups to increase their number of visits.
More than 47,000 children are enrolled with Plunket throughout the country.
The Labour-led Government, which has a mandate until the end of 2005, will not change the legal status of cannabis.
The Health Select Committee has recommended that another select committee of Parliament, the Justice and Electoral Committee, give its consideration to the legal status of cannabis.
The first recommendation in the Health Committee's report was for the coalition government to accept "a leading role" in promoting the message that young people should not use cannabis.
The Labour Progressive coalition accepts that role wholeheartedly.
Of the specific recommendations made in the Health Committee's report, most are in fact already included in projects, policies or practices of the various agencies involved tackling drug-related challenges to our society.
The Health Committee also made recommendations related to the medicinal use of cannabis and for the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs to give early re-consideration of the legal classification of cannabis.
It should be noted that in order for cannabis to become an approved medicine in the future, it will first need to meet certain standardised dosage, safety and therapeutic efficacy requirements, as do all other registered medicines.
Medsafe is currently monitoring cannabis products, in pill and inhaler forms, which are being trialled by a British pharmaceutical company. That company may apply for consent to market its product after it has completed its field trials and it will be for the experts at Medsafe to recommend to the coalition government whether it is a good or a bad product at that time.
One of the constant calls from parents and teachers, and reflected in the Health Committee's recommendations to the coalition government, was for more information on the harm that cannabis misuse can cause.
The coalition supports initiatives to further explore the relationship between road accidents and alcohol and other drug use and we support the current Police proposal for funding for a study in this area.
Masterton Hospital laundry is to close and the services contracted out to outside providers.
This is a sad day for those employed in the laundry and my thoughts are with them.
Unfortunately the machinery is aged and needs replacing and is simply not worth it in this day of modern transport and same-day delivery services.
The money is best spent elsewhere and that is the reality.
I managed to pop into the Carterton A & P Show at Clareville Showgrounds last weekend and met up with pupils, staff and parents of Dalefield School when they visited Parliament earlier in the week.
I also bumped into a visiting party from Mangatainkoa School on their visit to Parliament. It is great to see such enthusiasm from young people and I couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was a future Wairarapa MP among them.
My congratulations to the Eketahuna community in its successful push to retain its community board and representation on Tararua District Council.
My understanding is that the Pahiatua Community Board was happy to have their board abolished, wishing instead to have a committee structure similar to Woodville's, but Eketahuna wanted theirs to stay.
Thank you to the District Council for listening to the wishes of your community.
Christmas is fast approaching and it is timely to remind everyone to arrange alternative transport if they are planning to have a few drinks.
Don't drink and drive, make sure you wear your seatbelts, buckle your kids in and keep the speed down.
This way maybe everyone will have a good Christmas.
I'll take this early opportunity to let you know that my offices will be closed from December 19 until January 27 while my staff take a well-earned break, however phones will be monitored over some of this time for urgent cases.
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