Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:639;Page:9510] 
10.  
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What progress has been made on the implementation of the single core benefit? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Good progress is being made. As I believe the member is aware the job search service has now been rolled out to all Work and Income service centres as at the end of April this year. Additionally phase one of the Working New Zealand work focus support package is currently before the House in the form of the Social Security Amendment Bill. As the member knows these changes are not about just renaming benefit categories; they are about extending support services to clients based on what they can do not what they cannot do and on clients needs not the name of any benefit they might be entitled to. The bill appeared to be supported indeed by the National Party at the select committee and in the select committee’s report back to Parliament but for reasons that are difficult to understand National now appears to be opposing extending those support services to all Work and Income clients. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister has not addressed the question which was about the single core benefit not everything else. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed the question. 
Judith Collins 
: Does the Minister agree with the comments of his predecessor Steve Maharey who said of the single core benefit: “I have been exploring the idea of a single benefit since I first took up this portfolio. It has been a theme for many years.” and: “The changes are a world first and would be the most significant reforms of New Zealand’s welfare system since 1938.”? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Indeed I do. The member will be only too aware of the capacity that now exists in Work and Income because of in particular the drop in the number of unemployed from 161000 under that member’s party in Government to around 25000 now and the 35 percent reduction in the number of all working-age benefits. But I say to that member that as the number of beneficiaries reduces the people we are working with are New Zealanders who need the greatest amount of support and assistance. We are tackling the hard end of the social problems that are the legacy of that member’s party in Government. This Government does not apologise for investing in the most vulnerable members of society to give them the assistance they are entitled to. 
Lynne Pillay 
: How are the changes to the upfront work-focus service assisting Work and Income clients? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: In the past 8 months at least 34648 unemployment benefit 16638 sickness benefit and 484 invalids benefit clients have participated in the new pre-assessment process and have indicated therein that they want to return to work. and want to engage with planning and support services to help them to that end. Over the same period 59 percent of clients participated in the upfront work-focus service—which is voluntary at this point—and that shows how well-received that approach is. The Social Security Amendment Bill will of course make that engagement process a requirement for work-tested clients and I look forward to National supporting those changes in the House. 
Judith Collins 
: When will the single core benefit the so-called most significant reform of New Zealand’s welfare State since 1938 be implemented as promised? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I thought by now that it would be obvious to the member that phase one of those developments is already in place and phase two will be introduced when Cabinet makes appropriate further decisions. 
Judith Collins 
: Why is there no detail of the single core benefit in the 2007 Budget when apart from its having been a “theme” for many years Steve Maharey promised Cabinet in 2005 in this Cabinet paper I have here that it would be implemented this year? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Because as I have just said to the member—and I am delighted to repeat it—Cabinet is yet to make decisions about phase two of that introduction. 
Judith Collins 
: Does the Minister stand by his statement that he has received so many reports on the single core benefit that “compiling a list of all these reports would involve substantial manual collation”; if he does why after 20 years of “theming” 7 years of reporting and the passing of two definite roll-out dates—2002 and 2007—is there still no single core benefit as promised in the Cabinet paper which was approved in 2005? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I have twice explained for the benefit of that member that phase one includes the Working New Zealand package which is now implemented and is mandated by the bill that she and her party refuse to support. Cabinet in due course will make further decisions about further phases of that policy.