Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:629;Page:1713] 
4.  
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
 to the  
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) 
: Does she stand by her evidence to the Social Services Committee on 23 June 2005 that Child Youth and Family Services is “moving into a phase of what I describe as performance excellence and that is not a term I would use lightly”; if so why? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)) 
: 
 Yes; because Child Youth and Family Services has shown significant improvements in performance in an environment of greatly increased workload and a deliberately created atmosphere of mistrust—created deliberately by the National Party at the expense of hard-working social workers. 
Judith Collins 
: Which is correct: that Child Youth and Family Services has a “culture of excellence” as described in its 2005-06 statement of intent or that it has a “culture of ‘resistance’ ” as described in a Cabinet paper released last week—which one is it? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: From the perspective of the authors both. 
Georgina Beyer 
: Would—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Questions are to be heard in silence. 
Georgina Beyer 
: Would the Minister outline Child Youth and Family Services’ key performance achievements? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The department has reduced the number of unallocated cases dramatically despite a significant increase in notifications. Children are seen more quickly and determinations of abuse and neglect are made more quickly. The number of Child Youth and Family Services social workers has increased significantly under the Labour-led Government and increasing numbers are being registered. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister plan to continue with the differential intake model; if so why has it sat on the legislative agenda for the past 2 years does that indicate the true feelings of the Government towards vulnerable children in New Zealand and where is the commitment? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: In answer to the first part “Yes” and the pilots are proceeding. There is no need for legislation in order for that to be rolled out. 
Anne Tolley 
: Does she stand by her statement made before the election that the “productivity the timeliness and the service quality improvements are quite extraordinary” in light of the recent State Services Commission’s damning report which states: “Despite the change programmes initiated from the reviews CYF still faces a number of problems including a lack of a system wide approach to managing business process poor management and performance information; weak youth justice capability; insufficient policy co-ordination.”? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Absolutely. In my view the points that the member raises are an inevitable consequence of the National Party’s obsession with policy and operational separation. 
Anne Tolley 
: What responsibility will she shoulder for the continued failures of Child Youth and Family Services in light of the statement she made to the select committee last year: “So as Minister I have ensured that the department has very clear expectations of the outcomes and functions that Government requires it to perform.”? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I certainly do retain my accountability for the actions of the department. That is why if the member was concentrating at the select committee meeting to which she referred she would recall that for the first time every performance indicator had been met by the department. 
Judith Collins 
: How many Child Youth and Family Services staff will be eligible for redundancy payments with the merger scheme or does this Minister not know? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: As many as are made redundant and have redundancy provisions in their employment agreement. 
Judith Collins 
: How much will her failed tenure as the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) cost New Zealand’s most vulnerable children while she sits there trying to blame someone else for her mess? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: In my view I do not have a failed tenure. Nor do I misrepresent the facts of the situation at the expense of departmental staff as that member did when she took an answer that I had given her about tortious claims against departmental staff and misrepresented it in a press statement as being about the torture of children. That is how lazy and misrepresenting that member is. 
Judith Collins 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the report that Ruth Dyson released last week about the appalling situation in Child Youth and Family Services under her tenure. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that report. Is there any objection? There is objection.