7. Question No. 7—Social DevelopmentHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social DevelopmentQuestion No. 7—Social Development7. Hon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by her policies and actions?Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Associate Minister for Social Development) on behalf of the Minister for Social Development: Yes.Hon Louise Upston: Why has the number of people stuck on the dole for over 12 months increased by over 15 percent since your Government took office?SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to invite the member to ask a supplementary which relates to the primary question.Hon Louise Upston: Why has the number of people stuck on the dole for over 12 months increased by over 15 percent under that Minister's policies and actions?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: On behalf of the Minister we know that the increase is mainly driven by population growth and a softer economic growth outlook in the short term but we want to ensure that everybody who is able to is earning learning caring or volunteering and our welfare system has a key role to play in that. On this side of the House we're here to help everyone who is entitled to this support.Hon Louise Upston: Why has your department seen reduced performance—SPEAKER: Order! Try again.Hon Louise Upston: Why has Minister seen reduced performance by the Ministry of Social Development for all three of her own key performance measures relating to improving employment outcomes?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: On behalf of the Minister I know that the work that we are doing in this area is exemplary. This Government doesn't want to see vulnerable people getting further into hardship. We're working hard to ensure that—Hon Scott Simpson: Wrong answer.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I apologise. I assure the member it will be worthwhile listening to it when I find the answer. On behalf of the Minister we're working hard to ensure that people who are entitled to our support receive it. On this side of the House we want to ensure that people are supported to be learning earning caring or volunteering and this Government is working hard to do so.Hon Louise Upston: Why has the proportion of people who go back on to benefit after 16 weeks increased every year under her watch when it was falling under National's?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: On behalf of the Minister I absolutely reject the premise of that question. In fact what I can say is that under this Government we are increasing the ability for people to come off the benefit. Under that Government I know that people were coming off the benefit and then going straight back on in 18 months' time. So I completely reject the premise of that question.Hon Louise Upston: Does she agree with her department that and I quote Because case managers spend more time responding to increased hardship need they spend less time exploring employment outcomes with clients"; and if so is she happy that her department is spending more time dishing out cash than supporting people into employment so they can earn their own?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: On behalf of the Minister this Government doesn't want to see vulnerable people getting further into hardship so they are accessing the recoverable assistance that they require through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). People need this type of support to ensure that they can access the recoverable assistance that they're eligible for through the Ministry of Social Development. People who are seeking employment also need to be supported through all stages of that and that may mean that they have to access support through the Ministry of Social Development. I know from the work I see done on the ground that our MSD employment support is absolutely extraordinary. It's getting more people into work. We've increased the numbers of jobs by 92000 jobs in New Zealand and people who need the support are getting it as they should do."