Ngaro AlfredHon ALFRED NGARO (National): Thank you Madam Chair. It's an honour to speak in this stage. I want to take up the words that were spoken in the second reading of the bill last night by the Minister for Social Development in which case she indicated that there would be a provision to allow for a robust process of debate in committee stage also too confirmed by the other members of the Social Services and Community Committee as well; that's what the committee stage is for. So I hope that because we didn't have that during select committee we will be able to have this during this process here.The Minister talks about the 16 years. I too was the chairperson of the Social Services Committee in 2016 that commissioned the inquiry on behalf of the Government to look into managing registration around social workers and also some of the other issues that were there as well. The Minister talks about 16 years and the process that it's taken. We all agree; we're here at this point in time. The issue of concern though that we raised last night also is around process and I want to read from for instance one of the 70 percent of those submitters who also asked whether there would be a scope of practice included. This is from the New Zealand Public Service Association (PSA) and it states this: It is the view of the PSA that the lack of a scope of practice will contradict and actively work against the stated intentions of the bill in the following ways:" and it begins to list what those ways are. Minister you've talked about the fact that—let's not wait for 16 years; let's make sure that we are putting together a bill that will last for another 16 years and beyond. There was enough information here that would've allowed us to be able to have that process and have the information so we didn't have to go through another Supplementary Order Paper (SOP). Minister we made a request to extend that time; that did not happen. I just want to put that on the record. I do not agree with that but hence we're here today.So I'd like to pose a question because that's what the committee stage is about: posing some questions to the Minister in this regard. Now that we have and are looking at having a scope of practice that is included in the bill through this SOP 187 I want to ask this question: what is the process for someone challenging the scopes of practice? In other words while we have it here it will be generic. In other words it's stating the intent of the scope of practice but I want to ask the Minister then what's the process that she has in place so that number one what is the process for someone challenging the scopes of practice? Inside the submissions that were made in regards to this bill there are varying views around what those scopes of practice would be. In fact in one of the submissions around Aotearoa social workers was in regards to those who practise kaupapa Māori for instance. They were asking about this they were saying "Who will define practices under the scope that deal with for instance kaupapa Māori those who for instance are Whānau Ora social workers?"So I genuinely want to ask the Minister to consider this and I'm sure she has: what is the process for someone to challenge the scope of the practice? What will it include? We know that there are a range of complexities in regards to social work practice: issues around mental health issues around different ethnic groups that are there. So what is the challenge to that?The second question to that then: who do they challenge to and what parameters do they have to meet in order to properly challenge the scope? So it's around a bit more of the process a bit more around the aspect of how who and what is that. And the last part of that is: how is their challenge considered and who considers it? Will it be the Social Workers Registration Board as the regulator? Will it be the different associations? Will there be a collective advisory committee that will do that? I think that's important because that's the reason why—and again I don't want to harp on too much—we wanted to have an extension of time that would allow for those who are making submissions those who are the providers those who are the associations to give them a chance to ask these very questions. We don't have that so hence the reasons why in this committee stage I'd like to put these questions to the Minister so that she can be able to answer them as well.The second part of that is having declined an extension to select committee in regards to this process over nine months will the Minister then consider what the process is after the bill has been enacted and has the Royal assent around the fact of engaging into the wider associations in regards to the regulations of the scopes of practice as well? So there are a series of questions that are there. I'd like to put them to the Minister. It's also post the bill being passed; then it's around the operational side of that in those scopes of practice. I know because these were some of the questions that were being asked by the submitters—I'd like to put them to the Minister and I hope that she'll be able to respond to them. Again this is the committee stage. We want a robust conversation. I look forward to the responses by the Minister to these questions in the committee."