Lotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4547. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: How is the Government better supporting young people who are either on a benefit or not engaged in education training or employment? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 This week marks the start of the Government’s comprehensive youth services for disengaged young people. More than $148 million in wraparound support services will help young people on benefit off benefit and those at risk of going on benefit as well. Each young person will be allocated a service provider who will manage their benefit payments provide mentoring support have an unwavering emphasis on education and training and for those with children also help them with parenting courses. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: How have these services been targeted to ensure they reach those young people who are most at risk of long-term welfare dependency? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: The new youth services are for 16 and 17-year-olds and 16 to 18-year-old teen parents on benefit and will also target up to 14000 teenagers aged 16 and 17 who are not in education employment or training. We have targeted these young people as for the first time we actually know who is going on benefit and the kinds of services we need so that we can put them on a different path in life. 
Tracey Martin 
: Does the Minister accept that the contract to address the numbers of young people not in education employment or training north of Auckland all the way to Te Hana going to an out-of-area provider has now significantly disadvantaged and competes with successful community providers previously working with these young people such as the Springboard community trust of Snells Beach and the Men and Family Centre of Helensville; if so what will she do to address this consequence? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: What I have asked the department to do is have conversations with these service providers of which there are 42 throughout the country to see where they can partner with other providers in other areas. So they are saying that they are talking to other providers to see that. There are also as has been identified by the Opposition quite often kids who are 18 years and older who are needing services and actually Springboard and others like it are addressing the needs of those young people as well. So I do think we can cover it and I do not think it needs to be to the detriment of the services the member mentions. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: What role would the community youth service providers have? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: We have selected actually 43. I think I said 42 in answer to the member so I just correct that to 43 community organisations. As I say they are based throughout New Zealand. At full implementation they will be working with around 17000 young people. Each provider has been assigned a geographical area to work within and a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development will allow that kind of information sharing which is already under way and making a difference.