7. Social Development Ministry—Client Data CollectionCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentSocial Development Ministry—Client Data Collection7. CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she agree with the Prime Minister who said I must emphasise that increasing access to data will not be at the expense of security or risk to privacy" in regards to the Government's collection of private client data from contracted social services?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Yes absolutely. Just like doctors and counsellors who collect similar data the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has robust procedures for gathering and protecting personal information and has done so safely for decades from a variety of sources. Of course we are working closely with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure that clients' privacy rights are protected. The Government is not interested in personal files or case notes and MSD will not be looking at individual records. As I have said before it is about having the data so that we can better understand what services are needed what is effective and where the gaps are. I think both taxpayers and the people who access these services expect the $330 million that the Government funds in community-based social services every year to be spent on the programmes to get the very best results for vulnerable children young people and adults.Carmel Sepuloni: Does she consider the rights and privacy of citizens seeking assistance from community law centres to be more important than the rights and privacy of citizens seeking support from mental health and addiction services Rape Crisis or Women's Refuge given that community law centres have recently been made exempt from private client data-sharing requirements or are they just lucky to have legislation to protect them?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Community law centres are not funded by MSD through community investment and the whole purpose of collecting data by MSD through community investment is so that we can ensure that the right services are available to all of New Zealand's vulnerable children young people and adults.Carmel Sepuloni: Is she aware that Rape Crisis spokesperson Andrea Black has been told by clients that "They would not seek help with us if they knew this was going to happen." in response to the Government's collection of private client data; if so is she concerned that under her watch survivors of sexual assault will be putting off accessing support services they desperately need?Mr SPEAKER: Two supplementary questions—the Hon Anne Tolley.Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well providers will ultimately make decisions about whom they will provide that service to and for. I would encourage any provider with concerns or questions that they feel have not been answered by MSD to talk to MSD urgently so that their concerns can be allayed. They will then be able to reassure their clients about how this data is being used but more importantly about how it is being protected ensuring that they continue receiving funding for those services.Carmel Sepuloni: How does she expect the public and service providers to have confidence in her approach to private sensitive client data-sharing when the Privacy Commissioner is conducting an inquiry after she has already recklessly inserted the requirements into contracts?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Yes I do understand that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is responding to requests to have a look at the collection of individual client-level data by contracted providers but the ministry has been working with the Privacy Commissioner throughout the process to ensure clients' privacy rights are protected and we have invited the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to be part of a collaborative approach to working through what needs to be in place to ensure that the client-level data that we are collecting does protect the interests and rights of individuals.Carmel Sepuloni: If the Privacy Commissioner highlights serious concerns about the Government's private client-data collection through the inquiry will she significantly adjust the approach or abandon it altogether?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well of course if working collaboratively with the Privacy Commissioner we will listen to any recommendations that he has to make. However this Government makes good use of data in order to make sure that the $330 million we spend every year out providing community services goes to the people who need it. We want to make sure that we fill any gaps in services and so we will continue to work with the sector to make sure it understands there is no intention to look further than that client-level data and protect the privacy of those clients. Jan Logie: When organisations working with male survivors of sexual abuse report "Many clients don't even want to give their full names due to social stigma" how does the Minister think those men are going to access a service that requires them to give the Government their full names addresses and children's details?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: As I said before providers ultimately make decisions about whom they will provide a service to and for and I would hope that providers would be able to reassure their clients that there will be sufficient protection of client privacy in order for them to access the services that they want.Jan Logie: Why were community organisations not consulted or even made aware of the new requirement to collect individual data until it appeared in their contracts?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I absolutely reject that. This has been talked about. In fact I have stood in front of audiences of NGOs and talked about this for 2 years now.Jan Logie: Will the Minister review this ill-thought-through policy in light of significant organisations saying clearly that they will not hand over clients' private data in return for funding?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: This Government is determined to make sure that the $330 million the Government spends every year on providing services to the community goes to the people who need those services and to make sure that there are no gaps and people left without services.Darroch Ball: How long has the Minister known about the breaches of contract including potential fraud and corruption during the contract between the Ministry of Social Development and Pacific Media Network delivering the Pasefika Proud campaign which has seen the taxpayer ripped off to the tune of $1.5 million?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well that is very wide of the question—Mr SPEAKER: It is.Hon ANNE TOLLEY: —and I have no data and I have no advice to actually provide an answer to that question."