7. Youth Unemployment—Youth Employment Pathways Programme and Government Support for Young PeopleDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentYouth Unemployment—Youth Employment Pathways Programme and Government Support for Young PeopleDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei): What announcements has she made recently—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Sorry there is too much conversation so it very hard to hear the question. The member can start the question again.7. Dr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister for Social Development: What announcements has she made recently regarding support for young people who are not in education employment or training?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Earlier this month along with the Prime Minister and other Ministers we announced a $50 million youth employment pathways programme: a comprehensive strategy to reduce the number of at-risk young people not in employment education and training in regional New Zealand. As part of the Regional Growth Programme central and local government will partner with iwi businesses and support agencies to develop tailored intervention approaches. The strategy will be rolled out in the four regions of Northland Eastern Bay of Plenty East Coast and Hawke's Bay and target young people who have high and complex needs and are at risk of long-term unemployment and welfare dependency. It follows on from successful trials such as Kaikohe Growing Regional Opportunities through Work in Northland and Project 1000 in Hawke's Bay.Dr Shane Reti: How many young people will this programme work with to help them into jobs? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Hon ANNE TOLLEY: We will work intensively with just over 5000 of the most at-risk unemployed young people in the four regions. I know that that does not sound like a lot to some people in this House who try to say there are 90000 young people out there looking for work. Well I am sorry to tell the House that this just is not true. What they do not say is that many of those young people are caring for others whether it is a child or an elderly relative. There are kids on a gap year or an OE they are transitioning between training and employment or there are some people with a health condition or disability that stops them from working. There are around 18000 young people on a benefit—one-eight-thousand—who are in a position to start work which is a long way from 90000 and some of them will be on a benefit for only a short time before they do find work. We are focused on those who need the extra help and that is what this programme is aimed at doing.Dr Shane Reti: Why then is the Government focusing on young people? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am now putting up with miles too many interjections from one person particularly. I will not name her. She knows exactly who she is. If she continues to interject she will not be in the House for the balance of question time and for most of the afternoon.Hon ANNE TOLLEY: We know that those who go on to a benefit before the age of 20 are much more likely to stay on a benefit long term—14 years or more. Not only this we know that almost half of all children who grow up in a largely benefit-dependent household end up on a benefit themselves before the age of 23. This Government's strong economic plan is delivering growth and jobs in regional New Zealand and we are keen to see all New Zealand Kiwis benefit from this growth. So we are absolutely committed to breaking the cycle of welfare dependency and helping those young people live independent and successful lives.Darroch Ball: How can she say that neets" should be "the highest priority for any Government" when one region she has identified Hawke's Bay has a 22 percent "neets" rate which has been constantly high for 9 years but only now 3 months out from an election is she embarrassed enough to do something about it?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: That is absolutely not true and I categorically deny that that is what this Government is doing. What we have been doing over a long period of time since the global financial crisis is focusing on young people. But there are a number of young people in some parts of New Zealand who represent too high a percentage of the young people—and these particular young people have very high and complex needs. So for instance in Northland where we are targeting about just over 2000 of them 1500 are Māori and they represent about 70 percent of the at-risk population. So we are picking on the hardest young people to work with and we are working alongside employers alongside iwi and alongside a range of agencies in order to get good solutions for them.Darroch Ball: When is she going to prioritise the young people in areas ignored in her plan—those living in the West Coast Canterbury Waikato Southland Auckland Manawatū Wellington and Taranaki—which have "neet" rates of 9 10 12 14 and up to 16 percent; or does she agree with the Prime Minister that they are just "pretty damn hopeless".Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well first of all the Prime Minister has never said that and I do not think—[Interruption] No I do not think anyone in this House wants to ignore any young person. We want them to go on and get good sustainable employment and we want them to live good lives. What we are doing is focusing on these regions that have the highest percentage of these at-risk young people where we have structures already in place through our regional economic development programme working alongside local councils working alongside local iwi and working alongside local businesses. If we are successful with these young people we will then look at expanding out the programme but because it is such intensive work—$50 million for just on 5000 young people—this is long-term work. We want to be sure that we have got it right before we expand it out.Iain Lees-Galloway: I seek leave to table a transcript of a speech made by Bill English to a meeting of Federated Farmers—Mr SPEAKER: No. Order! You do not need to seek leave because that transcript will be freely available if members wanted to source it.Iain Lees-Galloway: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: A fresh point of order?Iain Lees-Galloway: Well it is speaking to that point of order. That transcript is not freely available.Mr SPEAKER: It is freely available. Question No.—[Interruption] Order! And now I identify another member who knows who he is. If he continues to interject and behave like that he will be leaving very shortly."