Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Collins Judith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 February 2007. Volume:637;Page:7544. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8.  
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: How many sickness beneficiaries are also registered job seekers? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 I am advised that as at December 2006 the number of Work and Income clients receiving a sickness benefit and also formally registered as job seekers was 4910. As at the same time December last year 2873 Work and Income clients receiving invalids benefit were also formally registered as job seekers. It is important for the House to be aware that clients on a sickness benefit or an invalids benefit do not have to register formally as job seekers to take advantage of work support under the new service approach. I am further advised that since June 2006 18564 sickness or invalids benefit clients have participated in the new service approach. 
Judith Collins 
: How many working-age adults registered as sickness beneficiaries could be working? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I can inform the member as I have on previous occasions that in the last 7 years well over 100000 people have left the unemployment benefit. [ 
Interruption 
] If the member will let me finish I will do so. Of those people just 8.5 percent have transferred to the sickness benefit. I am happy to repeat for the member’s benefit those extraordinary numbers I gave in my answer to the primary question. I am very proud of the professional and dedicated efforts of Work and Income people whose entire focus is on placing New Zealanders into real work for real wages. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister did not address the question which asked how many working-age adults on the sickness benefit could be working. He has talked about the unemployment benefit but that was not the question. He did not address it. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister did address the question. He related his answer to the primary point of the question. 
Darien Fenton 
: How does New Zealand’s reduction in benefit numbers compare with rates in Australia and the UK? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I am pleased to inform the House that between 2000 and 2005 the United Kingdom has had a net reduction of 6.4 percent of people in receipt of an unemployment benefit or of some form of incapacity benefit. Australia has in the same area achieved a 0.8 percent reduction. Over the same period New Zealand I am delighted to inform members has had a 25.8 percent reduction. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: Say that again. 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: 25.8 percent. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The primary question was about sickness beneficiaries. I do not know how it is that the Minister is able to get away with those sorts of supplementary questions and answers. They have nothing to do with sickness beneficiaries; they focus simply on the issues the Minister wishes to promote. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I listened carefully and the Minister did address incapacity in those figures as well. 
Pita Paraone 
: Tena koe Madam Speaker. Is the Minister aware that there has been an increase in the proportion of Maori in receipt of the sickness benefit in the past 6 years; if so what conclusions does he think can be drawn from the corresponding decrease in the proportion of Maori in the unemployment statistics over that period? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: The important factors in that observation are found when we look at the respective trend lines for the various parts of the population. I am sure the member is as pleased as I am that Maori unemployment has more than halved during the period of this Government. That is not to say it is not an important focus for my colleagues and me and for the efforts of Work and Income. 
Judith Collins 
: When the Minister stated last year that one in five sickness beneficiaries or 20 percent are capable of undertaking paid work what numbers was he relying on then and where did he get them from? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I am pleased to confirm that the latest advice I have received is that the new service approach shows that 24.9 percent of clients who indicate that they should qualify for a non-work-tested benefit have indicated that they are willing to work immediately be it part-time or full-time. I should also share with the member the fact that in December 2006 11 percent of sickness benefit clients approximately 5300 declared earnings and 15 percent of invalids benefit clients approximately 11500 declared earnings. 
Judith Collins 
: Why are only 11 percent of sickness beneficiaries seeking work when the Minister confirmed today in the House that at least 24.9 percent—in other words 25 percent—are capable of undertaking paid work; why is there such a difference? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I refer the member to the detail of my primary answer. It makes it quite clear how successful Work and Income is in achieving those results. 
Judith Collins 
: What evaluations have been done on the initiatives taken to get sickness beneficiaries into work and when will the Minister make those initiatives public? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: The member will recall that Mr Hughes the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development told her and the other members of the select committee that those evaluations were nearly complete that they had yet to come to my desk and that they would be made public when I had seen them. I have not yet received that report.