Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mackey Moana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:616;Page:12051] 
10.  
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
 to the 
 Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What trends have been identified in the number of people receiving the unemployment benefit? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 There has been a nearly 50 percent drop in the number of working-age New Zealanders needing the support of an unemployment benefit since 1999. There are now under 79000 working-age people on the unemployment benefit and the unemployment benefit hardship—the lowest level since 1987. This reflects New Zealand’s historically low unemployment rate of 4.6 percent—the sixth equal lowest rate of unemployment in the OECD. 
Moana Mackey 
: What factors have contributed to the reduction in numbers receiving the unemployment benefit? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: A strong labour market Government support for job-rich growth through regional economic development and a dedicated focus on quality case management and real job placements by Work and Income have all contributed to the near 50 percent drop in unemployment benefit numbers. That is in stark contrast to jurisdictions that have implemented work-for-the-dole and time-limited benefits like Wisconsin where benefit numbers have gone up by almost 30 percent in the last 3 years. 
Katherine Rich 
: What trends have been identified in the number of people receiving the sickness and invalids benefits and can the Minister explain why the number of people receiving them has dramatically increased under this Government? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The total number of working-age people on a benefit has dropped by over 55000 since 1999. That means that total working-age benefit numbers have dropped by a number equivalent to the entire population of Napier. That is a real total drop across all working-age benefits—unemployment sickness invalids and domestic purposes. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think the Minister should address the specific question that was asked. She can comment on that quite comfortably. The question can be repeated. 
Katherine Rich 
: What trends have been identified in the number of people receiving the sickness and invalids benefits and can the Minister explain why the number of people receiving them has increased dramatically under this Government? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: As I indicated in answer to the previous question the total number of working-age people across all benefits has decreased. However there has been an increase in both sickness benefit and invalids benefit numbers primarily due to improved diagnosis of mental health conditions—a strong contributor—and to our ageing population. That is exactly comparable to all other Western countries. 
Judy Turner 
: Has the Minister considered making eligibility for an unemployment benefit for those under the age of 25 more consistent with student allowances by assessing them on the basis of their parents’ income; if not why are students being treated differently by this Government compared to those on the dole? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: No that particular consideration has not been made. 
Peter Brown 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to draw your attention to the fact that Katherine Rich asked her question twice and the second answer was quite different from the first. Had the Minister not been pushed to answer it correctly the second time we on this side would have been working on a totally wrong assumption. We would have made the assumption that sickness benefits had gone down. In fact the reverse is the case. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. 
Peter Brown 
: That is quite frustrating on this side of the House. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order.