Coleman Jonathan: Home and Community Support (Payment for Travel Between Clients) Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeColeman Jonathan: Home and Community Support (Payment for Travel Between Clients) Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 13 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7142. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): I move That the Home and Community Support (Payment for Travel Between Clients) Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Health Committee to consider the bill. This bill resolves a claim filed in the Employment Relations Authority that the time a home and community support worker spends travelling between clients—in-between travel—is work for the purposes of the Minimum Wage Act 1983. The bill sets in place an enduring affordable and sustainable framework to remedy the in-between travel issue between Crown-funded employers and their employees. It represents an important milestone in recognising the valuable work of people who provide care and support to assist elderly and disabled New Zealanders to remain in their homes.Specifically the bill will implement the settlement agreement between the service providers support workers and unions the 20 district health boards and the Crown for the payment of time and costs for workers travelling between their clients. The settlement agreement also sets out a process for investigating transitioning this important workforce towards a more regularised employment model. This two-pronged approach resolves a longstanding historical issue and looks forward to ensure the service can attract recruit and retain a high-quality workforce to meet expected increased demand and services as the population ages.It delivers increases to support workers’ take-home pay reimburses them for using their vehicle to deliver services to multiple clients over the course of a day and commits to investigating how best to increase their certainty of hours of work and ongoing employment and therefore their ongoing income. Increased income reimbursement for vehicle use increased certainty of hours of work ongoing employment and ongoing income will reduce the current 30 to 40 percent industry turnover rate and reduce recruitment and retention pressures.This is a responsible approach not only to resolving a longstanding industry issue but also to setting out a road map for ensuring that there continues to be a skilled workforce available to support elderly and disabled New Zealanders to live in their homes and be part of the wider community. People depend on these services; it is not a matter of choice. We owe it to New Zealanders that the service they receive is delivered when they need it and is consistent with service specifications set for their level of need whilst being flexible enough to meet individuals’ specific needs. We also owe it to the increasing number of New Zealanders as the population ages who will benefit from these services to take the time now to ensure that the service can sustain growth in both client demand and expectations.The challenge is how best to deliver a service that is also affordable and sustainable over the long term. Investigating transitioning towards a more regularised workforce employment model will drive fundamental changes in every aspect of home and community support services including funding and contracting models employment terms and conditions and service delivery specifications. This work will see support workers given more certainty of their hours of work and ongoing employment working with safe and fair caseloads supported to upskill and rewarded for those skills. It will ensure high-quality support services continue to be available to support New Zealanders to live in their homes as the population ages.The Crown has negotiated the settlement in good faith and I would like to acknowledge all the parties involved in the tremendous amount of work and effort that everyone has put in. It is very pleasing to see that the unions and health and disability providers agree on what is a fair settlement—one that balances the interests of employers employees and the Government. It is equally pleasing to see the level of cooperation right across the sector and the drive that all parties share to ensure that the client remains at the centre of the service. It is important that these Crown-funded employers are supported to meet their obligations under the bill to pay support workers for their time and costs in travelling between their clients.In support of this Budget 2014 delivered the sector additional funding of $96 million over 4 years to support the payment of in-between travel. A further uplift of $14 million per year was later allocated as a forward commitment from Vote Health. It is also important that services are not differentiated by funder. Although this bill implements a settlement agreement negotiated within Vote Health the benefits will extend to home and community support workers funded through the Accident Compensation Corporation to deliver services to clients requiring support due to injury.This bill is a priority for the Government. It is an important piece of legislation that will ensure that people continue to receive the quality care that they need in order to remain in their homes while also securing a better future for those who provide home and community support services. I am pleased to be able to present this bill here today and I commend this bill to the House.