Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:613;Page:10231] 
7.  
KATHERINE RICH (National) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: Has there been an increase in the number of beneficiaries on the sickness benefit since November 1999; if so what is the size of the increase? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Yes. The sickness benefit numbers were 32868 in November 1999 and 40393 at the end of October 2003. That is a 22.9 percent increase. Increasing numbers of people needing a sickness benefit for a period of time is a long-term trend largely due to an ageing workforce. For example between 1991 and 1995 the number of people on the sickness benefit went up by 65.6 percent. 
Katherine Rich 
: Given that the Minister explains the rise in sickness beneficiary numbers under Labour as being driven by an ageing population and by people with mental illnesses leaving institutions why is the Taranaki service centre of Work and Income employing Tom Mulholland a general practitioner and part-time comedian known as the “Attitude Doctor” to attempt to talk people off the sickness benefit if by the Minister’s explanation they are too old or mentally ill to work? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: New Plymouth general practitioner Dr Tom Mulholland is a highly respected physician and motivator. He will be running a programme called “Healthy Thinking” which I am sure will be of help to many people. If the scheme is successful I anticipate that Dr Mulholland will be in demand from many other groups of people who are suffering from depression or crisis of confidence. For example the National Party caucus may well want to hire him. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No. 
Georgina Beyer 
: What new initiatives is the Government taking to assist people on sickness and invalids benefits to return to employment or increase their levels of participation? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Government has many programmes to assist people on sickness and invalids benefits to return to participation in the workforce. For example three of the new Jobs Jolt initiatives are as follows: enhanced case management and reduced sickness benefit and invalids benefit management-client ratios; innovative employment assistance programmes that include help to access health care so that people can return to work; and vocational services and employment programmes through Workbridge and other providers. The Opposition may carry on beneficiary bashing but we are getting people back to work. 
Katherine Rich 
: Is the Minister concerned that hiring a part-time comedian and general practitioner to use humour to motivate people off a sickness benefit confirms public concern that his initiatives to encourage people off welfare really is a “Jobs Joke” rather than a Jobs Jolt? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No. Given that we have 88000 people on the unemployment benefit and an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent the only joke is against the National Party. 
Peter Brown 
: Does the Minister share the view of his colleague who said earlier that poor people—people on benefits—can only afford to eat pizzas Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: What I share is trying to get things accurate. My colleague did not say that at any time during the many answers she gave to questions in this House and that member should not put words into her mouth. He should just put the pizza into his own. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Does the Minister stand by his statement to the House on 5 August 2003 in relation to the sickness benefit that “the sickness benefit is temporary. Before we demonise people on it we should remember that most of them come off it because they die”; if not does he admit that he misled the House and will he now apologise and make a personal explanation? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I stand by the first part of the statement but I understand that what I should have said that day—according to the people who advise me in the Ministry for Social Development—was that it was a reference to the invalids benefit. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: I seek leave to table official figures showing that 40000 people moved off the sickness benefit in the year to August 2003 and only 347 of them died. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I should point out to the member that I usually wait to the end of the question for the tabling of documents. 
Document not tabled. 
Judy Turner 
: Will the Minister consider adopting an approach towards the sickness benefit similar to that used by the Accident Compensation Corporation in rehabilitating long-term claimants in light of the fact that the benefit is intended to be temporary yet about 5000 people have been on it for 5 years or more? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: That is a very good question and one that I will answer as follows. Accident compensation is a social insurance scheme which means that we are able to use our projections about how long people will be on the scheme to fund getting them off it. Of course the benefit scheme does not run in that way but one of the things I am thinking about doing is putting proposals forward that would mean that we could estimate the length of time a person might well be on a sickness or invalids benefit. I could put forward a proposal for example that would allow them—as a way of moving forward—to get into the health system earlier get their problems fixed and move back into the workforce. 
Judy Turner 
: In light of the increasing number of people on the sickness benefit with some sort of psychological condition such as stress has the Minister asked officials to change the rules to require applicants to seek verification from a specialist in that area rather than a general practitioner who can write out a prescription for antidepressants without a clinical reference? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: In the invalids’ area we have to have a designated doctor—in addition to a local general practitioner—to certify that the person is able to qualify for the invalids benefit. In the area of sickness—no I have not considered that at this time.