Ministerial briefings – medicines supply and funding decisions

OIA response

3 July 2020 

Dear [name and contact details withheld]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your email of 11 June 2020, in which you request the following information:

  • Copies of the weekly update document on medicines availability made in each week of June 2020 
  • Any ministerial briefings prepared for the Board or Ministers in June 2020 around ongoing concerns around the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on medicine supply 
  • Copy of ministerial briefing papers published in April, May and June 2020 on PHARMAC’s planning for supply chain management in Covid-19 era and beyond 
  • Copy of ministerial briefings made on influenza vaccines supply in May and June 2020 
  • Copy of no surprises briefing - Mifepristone published this year 
  • Copy of no surprises briefing – Response to Cancer Control Agency regarding funding alternative cancer treatments – 11 May 2020 

Documents within scope of your request are attached, as follows:

  • Minister’s Report for May and Minister’s Report for Quarter 3 (including the Minister’s Report for April), both of which contain sections on: COVID-19 response and medicines management; and influenza vaccine supply.
  • ‘No surprises’ and consultation document – Mifepristone – published 2020.
  • ‘No surprises’ briefing – Response to Cancer Control Agency regarding funding alternative cancer treatments – 11 May 2020.

Information has been redacted from these documents under section 9(2)(a) of the OIA, to protect the privacy of natural persons.

PHARMAC has not produced documents that are within scope for the remainder of your request, being:

  • Weekly update document on medicines availability, June 2020.
  • Ministerial briefings prepared for the Board or Ministers in June 2020 around ongoing concerns around the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on medicine supply (as at your request date of 11 June 2020).

Your request for this information is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, on the grounds that the documents alleged to contain the information requested do not exist at this point in time.

Please note you have the right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) of the OIA to an Ombudsman, to seek an investigation and review of our decision.

We trust that this information answers your queries.  We are making our information more freely available, so we will now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website.  Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely

 

Rachel Read

Manager, Policy and Government Services

Download the documents released with this OIA response