5. Question No. 5—Social Development and EmploymentHon CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentQuestion No. 5—Social Development and Employment5. Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What reports has she received if any advising her of the possible child poverty impacts of indexing benefits to inflation rather than wages?Hon LOUISE UPSTON (Minister for Social Development and Employment): The publicly available report states that preliminary modelling shows indexing benefits to inflation in isolation as a policy in the absence of any other Government policy interventions before 2028 may increase the number of children captured by the before-housing-cost moving line measure and after-housing-cost fixed line measures of child poverty by 7000. The Government will however make other policy interventions before 2028 such as delivering tax relief and stopping petrol tax hikes that will significantly help families with children in modest to low income households who we know have been doing it particularly tough during the cost of living crisis.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: Given that net average wage growth for the purposes of annual general adjustments is now due to outstrip inflation this year have the reports she's received updated the forecast child poverty figures?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: We haven't received updated child poverty figures. Every policy and consideration that we will be making in the months ahead will but as I have answered in my primary question it is not one policy intervention on its own that will support us as a country to lift more children out of poverty; it will be a collection of policies that our Government is committed to taking.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: Do any of her reports highlight the disproportionate child poverty impact on disabled children given that disabled children or children living with a disabled adult are more likely to live in households where an adult is on benefit?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: I don't think it would be a surprise to this House that there are certain groups where there is a higher risk of children living in poverty and our Government is focused on those whether it is Pasifika Māori and disabled that we will of course take into consideration with any policies that we are putting in place to reduce child poverty.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: Do any of the reports she has received highlight the disproportionate poverty impact on sole mothers and their children given that 80 percent of sole parent benefit recipients are women?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: Absolutely and what this Government won't do is allow the number of children in benefit-dependent homes to grow by 45000 like that Government did.Hon Carmel Sepuloni: Are Ministry of Social Development figures correct that indexing benefits to wage inflation had moved over 5000 children out of poverty and if yes why is she hell-bent on making changes that increase rather than decrease the number of New Zealand children living in poverty?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: This side of the House is really committed to reducing the number of children living in child poverty. We know there's not one silver bullet; it's not one policy on its own that will make a difference. Addressing the cost of living crisis providing tax relief and getting on top of ridiculous tax hikes for petrol are very practical things that will help low and middle income families as well as those who are receiving benefits.