Parata Hekia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Parata Hekia: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:668;Page:15438] 
11. 
HEKIA PARATA (National) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What progress has been made on the Government’s Youth Opportunities programme? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 The Government’s Youth Opportunities programme has been a huge success. Over 12500 young people have been on a Job Ops or Community Max placement thanks to the many businesses and community groups that have given those young people employment opportunities. 
Hekia Parata 
: How many young people who have been on Job Ops or Community Max have not gone on to a benefit? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: We are continuing to see positive results as those young people finish their placements. Of those who have completed their Job Ops placement 91 percent have not gone on to a benefit. For Community Max over 70 percent have not gone on to a benefit. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: How many young people have remained in employment for longer than the Government-subsidised 6 months through its Youth Opportunities package and is that sufficient for this policy to be labelled a key part of the Government’s package to tackle unemployment in the recession? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: The figures I have relate to those who have not gone on to benefits and I have already given them: 91 percent of Job Ops placements have not gone on to a benefit and 70 percent of Community Max participants have not gone on to a benefit. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask members to be a little more reasonable with the level of interjection; I am struggling to hear. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question was very specific. It related to the number of young people who as part of the Job Ops package have remained in employment longer than the Government-subsidised 6 months. It was a very specific question and did not relate to benefit numbers. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I presume from the Minister’s answer that she did not have that particular information on her and gave the best proxy she could to indicate the level of success. Presumably people who have stayed in employment have not gone on to the unemployment benefit. Given the circumstances of the primary question I think one could not necessarily expect the Minister to have that particular information. I think she gave the best proxy she could for it. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does the Minister accept the New Zealand Institute’s findings that the impact of the Youth Opportunities package has affected at most 12 percent of the young unemployed; if not what approximate percentage has it assisted? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Well actually it has assisted 12500 young people and I would have thought that was a very very good result. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question related specifically to the percentage of young people who have been assisted by this package in relation to the total number of 64000 young unemployed. 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: The member actually asked did I agree with the institute—no. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think what the member has experienced with that exchange is that if there are two parts to a question the Minister is at liberty to answer one of them. If members want absolutely precise answers the question needs to be first very closely related to the primary question and then a very short question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That would have been fine if the Hon Judith Collins had given the answer to one of the parts of the question that she gave in replying to the point of order. She did not do that when she was answering the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is the member doing anything other than disputing my ruling? I do not think that is particularly helpful. I think the Minister’s answer to the question was reasonable. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: What percentage of the total young unemployed has the Government’s Youth Opportunities package assisted? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: Well it is about 12500 people. As to those who are unemployed the member should consider that the figure according to the household labour force survey is significantly different from the number of people on the unemployment benefit because as that member should know the household labour force survey asks anybody and counts as unemployed anyone who says they are available for 1 hour’s work a week. That is hardly in most people’s calculations considered to be wanting a job.