Willis NicolaNICOLA WILLIS (National): I rise to speak on the Families Commission Act Repeal Bill. Now of course I want to draw members' attention to the general policy statement for this bill which is very clear that the reason the National Government introduced this legislation to repeal the Families Commission Act was that we wanted to achieve greater effectiveness and greater efficiency—two principles that of course National-led Governments focus on because we know that we are stewards of other people's money that we should use it effectively and that we should make sure that we use it efficiently. Those are two principles that members opposite would do well to remember and it's good to see them being focused on in this legislation.The purpose statement is clear also that what we wanted to ensure was that the provision of social science research and advocacies for families generally would be transferred to more suitable agencies. I want to ask some questions of the Minister today in relation to some of the specifics of this bill particularly as they relate to schedule 1 clause 1 which is the section of the bill that requires that matters in this legislation be transferred to other agencies. My question is: in disestablishing the Families Commission can she confirm what of this work will be included in the work programme for the Social Investment Agency?Fellow members I've read the briefing to the incoming Minister from the Social Investment Agency and I commend that briefing to this House because what that briefing outlines is a great range of work which is designed to make the lives of New Zealand's families better by harnessing data by harnessing research by taking what that tells us to focus resources where they can make the biggest difference—not just putting money wherever it sounds good in a sound bite but putting it where it makes the biggest difference. So I ask the Minister: what work that is disestablished from the Families Commission will now be included in the work programme for the Social Investment Agency?I'm also—like the previous member Lawrence Yule was—very interested in this question of the Growing Up in New Zealand report. What that report shows us is that we have a whole lot of information in New Zealand about what it takes to support a child to grow up well and what is required to support a family to be strong. So again I ask: how is it that this Government is going to ensure that that contract is managed well that the findings from it and that the data from it are put to use? We have seen an allergy on the other side of the House. We have seen a discomfort with the idea that we might use facts and data—that we might harness them to better focus social investment. So I'd like to hear from the Minister whether or not in fact the information we gain from the Growing Up in New Zealand report will continue to be used well for New Zealand taxpayers.I then also want to ask that in progressing this legislation are we right to assume that the Government has decided to continue this legislation because it agrees with the former National Government that we should be realigning resources to ensure that we are supporting social investment? There have been some contradictory statements on that and it is a presumption in this bill that that is what will continue. So I'd like the Minister to discuss that in some detail if she could.There is a final question here that I think is very important which is that in doing a repeal bill like this which this side of the House supports we would like to know what responsibilities resources and contractual obligations the social policy evaluation and research unit is yet to delegate. We know that the former National Government was very efficient in ensuring that a number of those responsibilities and obligations were delegated to other agencies who could incorporate them into their work. But we remain interested in what further responsibilities and resources and contractual obligations are yet to be delegated.Specifically members let's think about the work here that National saw could be put to better use if taken out of the Families Commission and put elsewhere. We looked at the Families and Whānau Status Report and we said Let's put that into the Ministry of Social Development where it can be better integrated with other work." We took the example of the Family Violence Clearinghouse and we said "Let's put that into the Ministry of Justice where again we can integrate that to make sure that the decisions being made at the Ministry of Justice policy level better provide for New Zealand families." We took the Government's social science research hub and we put that into the Social Investment Agency. We also took the data analytics and insight functions of the Families Commission and put them into the Social Investment Agency.So it is right to ask the Minister: can we be assured that the Social Investment Agency is continuing to use that data to use that work in the way which the National Government presumed that it would for the betterment of New Zealand families?"