Ball Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBall Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9375. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.DARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Yes when taken in context.Darroch Ball: In regard to the Limited Service Volunteers scheme why did she say she cut funding because “we were having difficulty filling the … number of places” when she knew that only 27 out of the 1500 places in 2014 were not filled?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: The member misrepresents what I have said consistently in this House when he has asked about the reduced numbers for the Limited Service Volunteers. What I have said is that we have seen an almost 24 percent reduction in 18 to 24-year-olds on the main benefit we are seeing the lowest “neets” numbers for 15 to 19-year-olds since records began and as a result of that we have reduced the numbers from where they were increased to at the time of the global financial crisis.Darroch Ball: Why did she say there was a reduced demand for the course as benefit numbers dropped when there was information available to her and her officials stating that the Burnham Wellington and Auckland courses had been “full” and “oversubscribed”?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Because as I have explained in the House before this is a targeted intervention with young people. We have a whole range of targeted interventions with them not the least being the very successful Youth Service. So there has been a reduction in the number of young people who are receiving a main benefit and there is a considerable reduction in the “neets” numbers and therefore we have reduced the numbers for the Limited Service Volunteers scheme confirmed funding for it over the next 4 years and will continue to fund this very successful programme.Darroch Ball: Why did she give as a reason to cut funding to the course that the number of suitable clients for the course was dropping when there was information available to her and her officials stating that there was a wait-list to get on the course in both Wellington and Burnham due to overflow of numbers?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I do not believe that I have said that. What I have talked about is first of all a reduction in numbers on the benefit. I have talked about the young people who are suitable to go on this course because not all of them who want to go on are actually suitable. And I have talked about the fact that there was a global financial crisis which was when we increased the numbers to 1500. We have now taken those numbers back to 800 and we are continuing to fill the places. It is a very successful course.Darroch Ball: Why did she cut funding to the course based on the reduction of demand for the course when she and her officials had information that noted an increase in referrals from Youth Courts an increase in overall applications for under-18-year-olds and an increase in the number of female referrals for the course?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I am happy to repeat it for the third time but I do believe that I have addressed this question on a number of occasions just today.Darroch Ball: How can she announce yesterday that two new community pilots will help steer young people away from gang life when she has already cut funding to a highly successful course that had full numbers and had an increase in referrals from Youth Courts?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: The pilots that were announced yesterday are not focused just on youth; they are focused on working with the families of gang members which includes women youth and children. However this Government has a number of interventions put in place in order to work with young people to make sure that they can live successful lives. We will continue to trial different methods and evaluate them and as the Minister of Finance said earlier invest more money where we know it is going to get results.Darroch Ball: Did her advisers inform her that the Hobsonville Limited Service Volunteers lease was terminated only as a result of a business case from the Hobsonville Land Co.’s board of directors which is concerned that extending the lease beyond June 2015 would “impact on the infrastructure costs” and compromise the “net present-value target” of the Hobsonville Point housing development?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Actually my responsibility as the Minister for Social Development is to contract the Ministry of Defence for a number of places. I think the member will find that that was long before my time but we are very happy with the discussions and negotiations that we are having with the Ministry of Defence around providing this very successful course for 800 young New Zealanders.Darroch Ball: Is it not true that Auckland Limited Service Volunteers lost capability from 750 to just 300 places per year not because of the numbers of unemployed or the lack of demand for the course but everything to do with the Hobsonville Land Co. and decisions made by the Minister of Finance the Minister for Building and Housing and the Minister of Defence?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Absolutely no.Darroch Ball: I seek leave to table all operational group meeting notes for Limited Service Volunteers from January 2014 through to October 2015 obtained through the Official Information Act.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that significant pile of documents being tabled? There is none. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.