11. Question No. 11—Disability IssuesHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister for Disability IssuesQuestion No. 11—Disability Issues11. Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister for Disability Issues: Does she stand by her statement regarding changes to purchasing rules and equipment and modification services These changes are happening from 18 March and are intended to be temporary changes until later this year"; if so will she commit to restoring flexibility of funding as was available to the disability communities prior to 18 March 2024?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS (Minister for Disability Issues): These changes are happening from 18 March 2024 and are in place while we complete work on the long-term settings for the use of flexible funding. Whaikaha is working to manage a forecast overspend in the disability support system in this financial year. It is important to take a balanced and fair approach to prioritising disability support funding within the budget available. Whaikaha is prioritising across the system and making changes from 18 March 2024; changes to the purchasing rules which are intended to provide clarity about what supports can be purchased using disability funding and to prioritise spending towards supports accessed by disabled people. Equipment and modification services will be prioritised to provide support to those disabled people with the highest needs first. SPEAKER: I just say to members on the left I do need to hear the answers to these questions.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Why was there no consultation with those who would be most impacted by these changes?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: As I said the increase in the use of these services has caused a funding blowout and it is somewhat disingenuous for the member of that party who put the policies in place that set up the situation that Whaikaha is now facing in terms of flexibility of purchasing and ring-fencing the funding taking it out of a demand-funding situation.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: What does the Minister say to a mother who contacted me today to say that "flexible use of respite funding has been absolutely essential for the wellbeing of our whānau" and she goes on to say that "we cannot use a professional support person so then you have effectively taken our respite funding away"?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: I say as I said in my initial answer that we need to take time to have a look at the flexible funding and how we are going to manage it going forward. But the manner in which it was put in place without criteria and without support there for how it can be used has seen more than doubling of the use of that fund and therefore the pressure that Whaikaha are now under.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: How do you respond to Carlos Cordero who is concerned that the new rules restrict funding for whānau carers and ignores their experience as whānau carers who actually are on the ground doing the mahi?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: This has been a difficult time for Whaikaha trying to deal with the policy settings that the previous Government put in place of ring-fencing the funding but still allowing major flexibility for purchasing using that funding. That funding is for disabled people and the priority has to be for use of that funding for those with a disability.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Does the Minister agree with Maureen Pugh who said and I quote "If you're talking about wasted expenditure then that's very much where we'll go. But reducing funding and support for those in need we are actually looking to increase support." and will she commit to increasing support in Budget 2024?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: The fund for the equipment and modification of services has been increased by 10 percent. So the misleading statements from the Opposition about funding cuts is completely incorrect. The issue is the policy settings that were put in place by the previous Government that has seen a blowout in the funds available.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: What does the Minister say to Huana Hickey a tāngata hauā advocate who feels these changes attack the very heart of the disabled's needs?Hon PENNY SIMMONDS: It is a difficult time for Whaikaha trying to prioritise the funding. There is not an open cheque book and therefore they do have to make priorities. So the priority has been that the funding must be spent on the person with the disability when in the past the previous Government allowed such flexibility for carers to be able to spend on such things for themselves as pedicures as massages as overseas travel. So when the funding is under constraint then the priority must be for the disabled person to receive the funding.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Mr Speaker?SPEAKER: No you've used them all up."