Parmar ParmjeetDr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): It is a great opportunity to speak on the first reading of the Social Security (Stopping Benefit Payments for Offenders who Repeatedly Fail to Comply with Community Sentences) Amendment Bill in the name of Mark Mitchell. I would like to start by congratulating Mark Mitchell on this bill. As far as I know Mark Mitchell was in the police force before becoming a member of Parliament and this reflects a lot on what police officers go through in their day-to-day life to keep crime down. There are people who keep causing trouble again and again and then we reach a point where we start thinking about other avenues. This bill is to send a message to offenders especially repeat offenders. It is important that we enforce compliance for community-based sentences. And to the member from the New Zealand First Party Darroch Ball I want to clarify for him that it is the Ministry of Social Development that pays benefits not the Department of Corrections so it is relevant to the Social Services Committee. This bill will enable the Department of Corrections to instruct the Ministry of Social Development to withhold all or part of a person's benefit when that person has repeatedly failed to comply with a community-based sentence. This National Government is highly committed to keeping crime down and it is because of our commitment that crime is so low. Crime is low because we are harsh on criminals. Yes we are harsh on criminals and we know how to use our resources efficiently. We are also ensuring that our justice system is focused on the rights of victims. This bill will use benefit payments as a tool to improve compliance with community-based sentences. We do not want offenders to reoffend. We do not want to have more victims of crime. This bill will withhold benefit payments from those who repeatedly breach the conditions of their community-based sentences. It is really important that we ensure compliance and by giving this power to the Department of Corrections the Department of Corrections will be able to manage offenders at its level without sending all those cases to judges because we do not want to burden the court system unnecessarily. It does not seem just that we keep paying benefits to criminals on the run. But this bill is quite fair to criminals too because they will be getting written notices. There will be enough warnings before their benefit payments are deducted and also they will be provided help to comply with the conditions of their community-based sentence. After all that if they still do not comply only then will their benefit payments be deducted. Also benefit payments will not be deducted by more than 50 percent of their gross benefit if they have a dependent child or dependent children. So overall this bill is quite fair on both sides. This bill also provides for the Department of Corrections to inform the Ministry of Social Development if people start complying so their benefit can be reinstated. It is not a permanent reduction that is going to happen to these people so the payment will be reinstated if they start complying with their conditions. I fully support using welfare payment as a tool to improve compliance and also to encourage people to comply with their community-based sentence. The benefit system is to help people—those who are in real need. People who are on benefits have obligations towards the system. They have some conditions they have to meet to keep getting those payments. Similarly these conditions should be introduced for people who are on community-based sentences so that they have to comply with their conditions and if they do not comply with their conditions their benefit payments will be deducted. This is a very effective tool and this is also about sending the message to people that people have responsibilities to the system people have to respect the system and they have a responsibility to society too. I am looking forward to working on this bill in the select committee process. I support this bill. Thank you.