6. Question No. 6—Social Development and EmploymentSHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentQuestion No. 6—Social Development and Employment6. SHANAN HALBERT (Labour—Northcote) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What recent reports has she seen on main benefits?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): The benefit statistics for the December quarter were recently released. The quarterly release shows a year-on-year fall of around 21300 people receiving a main benefit in the December 2021 quarter. The number of working-age people receiving a main benefit as at the end of December 2021 was 5.5 percent lower when compared to the December 2020 quarter. Benefit numbers as a proportion of the working-age population decreased to 11.7 percent from 12.4 percent as at the end of December 2020. And the number of working-age people on jobseeker support decreased by 11.5 percent when compared to the December 2020 quarter. The 2021 December quarter was the highest number of exits into work for a December quarter since electronic records began in 1996.Shanan Halbert: What investments has the Government made to support people into work?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Over numerous Budgets we've invested heavily in work-focused front-line case management. The specific actions we've taken include 263 new front-line staff in Budget 2019 to help people into work; we invested $150 million in Budget 2020 to help people into work; we invested a further $99 million into work-focused case management in services in Budget 2021; and invested $86 million to sustain the additional front-line work-focused staff we employed through COVID-19. The quarterly benefit figures show that our Government's investment is beginning to deliver results and meaningful outcomes.Shanan Halbert: How many people moved off main benefits and into work in 2021 on Auckland's North Shore?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: The member for Northcote will be pleased to know that main benefit receipt fell by 10.2 percent in two North Shore local board areas Kaipātiki and Devonport-Takupuna in the year to 2021. This 10.2 percent fall for North Shore was stronger than the Auckland region as a whole for which main benefit receipt fell by 5.9 percent. This is thanks to a strong local labour market Government interventions and investments—and is a good sign of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the economy doing what it needed to do following the pandemic.Ricardo Menéndez March: Has the Minister seen any reports on the harm that the over-200 warrant to arrest sanctions applied to families with children in 2021 may be having on these children; if not how is she confident that this policy isn't causing harm to children?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: That's a little far removed from the primary question. However what I will say is that we have seen a reduction in sanctions applied through the welfare system. I think in fact since 2017 10000 less sanctions applied and that is due to more constructive conversations between Ministry of Social Development staff and clients a less punitive approach and an approach that is about working with MSD clients to ensure that they are able to reach their potential get the access to skills and training that they need and get into employment.Shanan Halbert: What interventions have contributed to these results?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: We know that COVID-19 has been tough on a number of people which is why we continue to be focused on paving pathways and creating opportunities for people to move into work. He Poutama Rangatahi has supported 7047 at-risk rangatahi to overcome barriers to employment education or training; Mana in Mahi have supported 4446 people into placements since 2018; there's been a total of 11193 flexi-wage placements; and our Apprenticeship Boost scheme to help employers retain apprentices and encourage more people to take up apprenticeships has already benefited over 40000 apprentices. There's still a lot more work to be done and we have yet to see the impact of Omicron on the employment market but there is a lot to be reassured about in these latest figures.