Dalziel Lianne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Dalziel Lianne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:627;Page:22117] 
1. LESLEY SOPER (Labour) 
 on behalf of  
LIANNE DALZIEL (Labour—Christchurch East) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What reports if any has he received on the implementation of the Working for Families initiatives? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Latest figures to the end of June 2005 show that 199500 families received family assistance. Those families were getting $30 more a week on average from the Inland Revenue Department than in June 2004 65 percent more working families are receiving accommodation assistance and 43 percent more children are receiving childcare assistance. Next year we will be expanding family support eligibility again and introducing a new $60-a-week in-work payment. 
Lesley Soper 
: What reports has he seen about the implementation of the rest of the Working for Families package? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I have seen at least five reports on Working for Families. The first report said it was third-rate the second report said it would be scaled back the third report said the in-work payment would stay the fourth report said the whole package would be kept in its entirety and the fifth report said there would be major changes but they would be announced after the election. All of those reports came from Dr Donald Brash and the National Party who cannot seem to make up their mind on one single issue. 
John Key 
: When the Minister said that the uptake of Working for Families by working families had been disappointing because they were “nervous” what part of the Working for Families programme were they nervous about? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I am afraid the member misquotes me. What I was referring to was the self-employed group of people—[ 
Interruption 
] Just for Mr Key again because he cannot stop yelling: I was referring to the group of self-employed New Zealanders who because of their experiences in the past have waited for the end of the year before they collect their money. We are encouraging them to take advantage of this fantastic package that the National Party endorses does not endorse will change some of will not change any of cannot make up its mind about but will make up its mind about once it gets into Government. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: Why was $15 million of taxpayers’ money spent on presenting this Labour Party election bribe when the Minister’s own officials confirmed that 75 percent of the recipients would receive assistance automatically? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Fifteen million dollars has not been spent. That is the entire budget through to 2007. 
Judy Turner 
: Has he yet considered enabling working families to receive their entitlements by alternative means—in the same way that they can currently elect to receive them as an end-of-year lump sum—such as an adjustment to the take-home pay of parents to be paid through their employer or by enabling their entitlements to be capitalised to raise the deposit for a first home; if not why not? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As always they are fantastic ideas from United Future but right now we are rolling out the Working for Families package and it is going extremely well. 
Lesley Soper 
: What reports has he seen about working families needing to queue at their local Work and Income to receive assistance through Working for Families? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I have seen an inaccurate report about New Zealanders having to queue to get access to Working for Families when of course it is delivered almost completely through the Inland Revenue Department. I have however seen a similar report from the same person suggesting that New Zealanders should queue outside post offices if they wish to get a job on a daily basis. I am sure that member Dr Donald Brash is merely anticipating his own future.