Henare PeeniHon PEENI HENARE (Associate Minister for Social Development): Tēnā koe Mr Chair and thank you for this opportunity. I want to address some of the matters that were raised by members across the Chamber with regard to Part 3 of the bill. I want to start if I can with the contribution from Mr Simon O'Connor who asked several questions. While relevance might be of question my point will be to basically clarify some of the aspects he raised which for the most part can be addressed by operational means and not necessarily through the legislation. But I'll work through those.First and foremost the member spoke about clause 93 about reasonable notification with regard to those on benefit or in receipt of assistance going overseas. The member will be well aware as will many members across the Chamber around the information-sharing memorandums and operations between many Government institutions and Government departments. Included in that of course is customs. We know that the relationship between the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and customs is one that is sound that allows for cross-reference checking to make sure that it's not as easy as people might suspect to simply dash off overseas or to avoid their obligations to take reasonable steps to notify the Ministry of Social Development about their departure overseas.Also too to that point I want to say that for the most part of my experience with Work and Income those who do come in to seek assistance are good honest people. They take their obligations seriously and certainly more than play their part in ensuring that they give correct information to the case manager and to the service centre. Only then can they truly receive their full and correct entitlement.To clause 92 the member spoke about Map a well-used tool. Look we I believe take reasonable steps to make sure that Map is available on the internet off the homepage where anyone in the public can access that. Of course it's available and accessible through each and every centre and I dare say through each and every case manager. If the beneficiary or the client goes in to discuss with their case manager or even through the call centre I'm sure they will have access to both Map and also the ability or function to inquire about Map.I'll move now to the amendment in the name of Maureen Pugh on clause 97 where it seeks to insert new clause 97(1)(c) ensuring that MSD must no less than four weeks before release date ensure that the offender is able to have access to entitlements upon release and are assisted with bank account requirements. For the benefit of the member: there are already officers within the corrections system that actually work with prisoners from the time they actually go in to—Hon Louise Upston: No they don't. We wish they did.Hon PEENI HENARE: —the system and by the time they leave. I take the point made here by the Hon Louise Upston. They were underfunded under the last Government so they need lots more support. Here's the point: let's not build another prison to make sure that there are even fewer resources to provide the kind of support that we expect for prisoners.We have a range of programmes within prisons already. But to the point of the amendment: there are support mechanisms there and it also I think works on a poorly based assumption that when an offender goes into prison they don't have a bank account already.Secondly it also was based on the assumption that when they come out after already having the ability to have processed their steps to freedom they are instantly going to walk into a Work and Income centre. Many of them are already able to access good services like the ones I mentioned in my Budget debate speech. One of those is of course MUMA—the Manukau Urban Māori Authority—who work with released prisoners to reintegrate them into the community. So it isn't simply a case of saying Upon release they must have these."I'd like to say once again for the benefit of Maureen Pugh that those services while I'll admit are under-resourced—because that's simply a reflection of the need and the failure of the last Government to address them. So what we're going to do is make sure that we support prisoners where we can. One of those is of course while they're in there and on the other side we want to make sure that when they do come out there are more reintegration services that will help them.So to the member's amendment we won't be supporting it because we believe that those mechanisms are already there. Quite simply they're not working because the last Government didn't fund them. We will be looking to address the serious issues not just with prisoners after release but of course the justice system as a whole.The other part to the member—we haven't quite got her amendment yet as it's no doubt a hastily drawn together one and put on the Table. The other one I want to talk about is—Mr Simon O'Connor—clause 97 about having a bank account. Of course this works on the premise once again or on the assumption that once again people don't have a bank account. People may not have an IRD number. We know that it takes time to change that system. We know that when a child is born now they automatically get an IRD number.We also want to see easy access and I want to commend the banks who actually work with a heck of a lot of communities to make sure young people do have bank accounts.Look I'm sure there are ways that can be worked through with case managers to ensure that when a client comes into the service centre they're able to work with the case manager to identify what they don't have and identify what they do have and for what they don't have I'm sure the service centre will be able to give them the right advice to make sure that the information comes in so that that particular person and client that comes into Work and Income can receive their full and correct entitlement. I want to keep saying that "full and correct entitlement" because it's an important thing. We also have belief in those who do come in seeking support that they will bring the right information with them and if they don't of course they'll have the opportunity to go and get that and we will be able to deal with their application in due course. Soon I'll have a chance to read the amendment by the member the Hon Louise Upston and I'll be happy to take a call on those once I've done that."