Logie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLogie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13317. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.JAN LOGIE (Green) to theMinister for Social Development: Does she have any concerns that the changes to welfare implemented by her this year are causing some beneficiaries trauma; if not why not?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development): Yes I have always got concerns and I understand that change can be distressing for people but quite frankly the alternative is to accept that the system as it was was as good as it gets and I think we can do better.Jan Logie: Why was a refugee mother from Burma with a 5-month-old baby ordered to attend a seminar about a military-style boot camp and warned that if she did not attend her benefit would be reduced or stopped?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well that should not have happened quite frankly. Work and Income send out about 9 million letters a year. About 100000 have been sent out proactively in the last 6 weeks. That is just for proactive appointments for people to come in. There was a sentence that said that if we had got this wrong or if she did not agree she should come in or ring us to let us know. I apologise to her. She simply should not have got that letter and we are looking at fixing that.Jan Logie: Why was a woman told she could not buy tampons on a Work and Income payment card because they were considered “luxury items”?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I have no evidence that that has happened. It is certainly not policy. They are not considered luxury items and people can buy them through emergency food grants.Jan Logie: Why are people who are attending Work for You courses being told they must have a cellphone even if they cannot afford one?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I have not seen any evidence of that. That has not been brought to my attention. If the member has cases like that then she can certainly bring them to me and let me know.Jan Logie: Why just a few months after she sang the praises of grandparents caring for their grandchildren was the Ministry of Social Development sending letters to these same grandparents telling them they must get paid work?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well there are different circumstances for different people who are on benefits. Some will want to work some can work some will have part-time work expectations some will have full-time expectations and some will have exemptions. It will depend on the circumstances. We do look at the individuals and there are individual circumstances. Some grandparents raising grandchildren can and want to work and so they should and quite frankly for some it just would not be suitable and there are exemptions for them.Jan Logie: Considering that beneficiary advocates on the ground are telling us that these cases are symptomatic of a culture of blame and suspicion that make it “near impossible for people to receive the assistance they are entitled to” will she commission a comprehensive audit to ensure that what she says she expects of the front line is what it is actually delivering?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well no because for every example that that member can give I can give another 10 of people who are grateful for the help that they are getting. They think that it is actually working better they are getting faster appointments they are getting more money spent to help them up front and they have easier access to courses support and everything else that they need. So I do not think that that is something that is throughout the whole organisation at all.