Muller Todd: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMuller Todd: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9203. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.TODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty) to the Minister for Social Development: What recent announcements has she made on the whole of government Gang Action Plan?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Today I announced two new community pilots that will support the partners and children of gang members to lead successful lives and help steer young people away from gang life. As part of the Gang Action Plan these pilots will see the Ministry of Social Development partner with local social service providers to work with gang-connected families and deliver wraparound intensive support services as well as education employment and mentoring opportunities. The pilots will also work with gang members who want to leave the gang lifestyle. Total funding for the two trials is $1.1 million over 2.5 years with more initiatives in other regions to follow soon.Todd Muller: Why is the Government focused on working with gang members and their families?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: A report by the Ministry of Social Development released today estimates that gang members and their children cost the taxpayer $714 million through their contact with the ministry and Child Youth and Family. The report shows nine out 10 gang members have received welfare assistance costing the taxpayer $525 million. Additionally over one-quarter of the allegedly abused or neglected children and 60 percent of their children have been victims. Gang life ruins families and the social cost through domestic violence and child abuse is unacceptable. The new Gang Intelligence Centre involving Police the Ministry of Social Development and other Government agencies will give us more detailed information to help address these issues.Darroch Ball: Why is it taking 2 years to initiate two pilot programmes that do nothing but subsidise current criminal behaviour and do not address the real problem which is the existence of the gangs themselves?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well if there was an easy fix to the issue it would have been resolved years ago. This is not an easy fix; it is a very complex area. And because we are seeing the gangs work together Government is now working together. These trials are working on the ground with gang families who are actually willing to change because that is the first step to get through where you have families who do want better outcomes for their children; secondly to establish providers who are willing to do the work and that has taken some time to do. You cannot change overnight what has taken generations to produce.Darroch Ball: Will the Government continue to support criminal gangs by using taxpayer funding to pay for the State houses in which many of these gang members live or will she support New Zealand First’s calls to ban gang members from living in our community State houses?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well unfortunately gang families by their very nature have women and children who are often at the mercy of the gang members so it is important that we put supports around them. Yes the welfare statistics are there to show just how many of these gang members are actually reliant on the taxpayer for funding their lifestyles while at the same time they are making extraordinary amounts of money through their networks producing methamphetamine. So a whole-of-Government action plan that combines work from both my colleagues the Minister of Police and the Minister of Corrections and also the social support for their families is important to address long term the issues of the harm that gangs do. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Could Darroch Ball please stop interjecting or the next time I will be asking him to leave.