11. Poverty—Hardship Grants and Welfare ReformsCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentPoverty—Hardship Grants and Welfare Reforms11. CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Development: Is she concerned that the latest quarterly benefit figures showed that more Kiwi families are unable to put food on the table pay for children's schooling costs and are relying on emergency accommodation support?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): No because it is mischievous of the member to categorise things in this way. If you look at the long-term trend hardship payments have gone from over 1.1 million in 2010-11 to fewer than 900000 in 2015-16—the last full year of figures. I also think it is important to point out that this is the number of payments not the number of individuals or families. The last quarterly benefit figures actually show that the number of people receiving a benefit is the lowest March quarter since 2008 and as the Deputy Prime Minister has already said the lowest as a proportion of the population since 1997 and today we see the unemployment rate drop below 5 percent and the number of employed people increase by 1.2 percent. I am very proud to be a member of a Government that is there to help and support people when they are in need but that also works with them to get them off a benefit and into work so that they can live independent and successful lives. Carmel Sepuloni: Does she consider it a success of the Government's welfare system that emergency food grants have nearly tripled since 2012 and accommodation support spending has increased by $20 million in the last 6 months compared with the same 6-month period a year ago because of the housing crisis which her Government refuses to acknowledge let alone address? Hon ANNE TOLLEY: As I said I am very proud to be part of a Government that makes sure that the assistance is there for people when they need it most and in fact we have made access to those special needs grants available online so that people do not even have to come into a Work and Income office to get access to them. We have made it simpler to do that. And I would like to point out to the member that this Government was the very first Government to actually invest in emergency housing to make sure that people in need of housing were able to access it and we were the first Government in 43 years to increase the amount of money paid to people reliant on a benefit. Carmel Sepuloni: Apart from providing access online what is she going to do about the significant increase in the number of Kiwis who are struggling to put food on the table—nearly 40000 food grants in 3 months alone? Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well this Government has a very fine record of making help available to those who need it most. The most important thing we can do—and we are doing successfully—is help more and more people to live independent lives by helping them to get into sustainable employment. That is the first thing. But in addition to that we are investing through the social investment in families from a very early stage getting underneath the drivers of poverty and hardship in order to make sure that there are long-term gains for families in need in our communities. Carmel Sepuloni: Does she stand by her statement it is clear that this Government's welfare reforms have had a significant impact in helping more people into work" when less than half of sole parents and only 50 percent of job-seeker benefit recipients left the benefit because they obtained employment? Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well as usual I would question that member's figures—Carmel Sepuloni: They're your figures. Hon ANNE TOLLEY: No they are not my figures. The two figures that the member has quoted on off-benefit were first of all from a staff member who did a survey of a few people in town and secondly from a piece of research that I commissioned that has established pre - welfare reforms what happened over 2 years to people leaving benefit. The second piece of research post - welfare reforms is still being undertaken. Carmel Sepuloni: I seek leave to table the latest quarterly benefit figures that were released 2 weeks ago which highlighted the exact figures that I was talking about. Mr SPEAKER: Order! No those figures—I have actually got them in front of me. They are publicly available to members. Carmel Sepuloni: Will she accept that her Government's social investment approach and Better Public Services target of reducing long-term welfare dependency is not only failing but is leaving an increasing number of Kiwi families worse off?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I find that question sort of unbelievable given the household labour force survey results released today and the information we released last week that show that as a percentage of the population we have more people employed in today's world than we have had since 1997. By anyone's calculation that is an enormous success for New Zealanders let alone for this Government. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Iain Lees-Galloway —[Interruption] Order! I ask Iain Lees-Galloway to cease his barracking across the House."