Sepuloni Carmel: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSepuloni Carmel: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 17 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6794. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Development: Is she satisfied with the results of the Mental Health and Sole Parent Employment trials given they cost $7.3 million?Hon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister for Social Development): on behalf of theMinister for Social Development: Yes. These trials are designed to assist people who are most at risk of long-term benefit dependency but who want to return to employment as quickly as possible. Therefore a wraparound service is provided including case management employment placement and in-work support to assist them. A full mid-point evaluation is still being undertaken and is due to be completed by the end of this year. The evaluation once completed will allow us to better understand what is working well with these clients and what changes we should be making. Unlike members opposite this Government is committed to helping those who want to get back to work to get into the workplace and we are willing to try some different approaches to achieve that.Carmel Sepuloni: Does she think that $7.3 million was well spent given that there were no improved outcomes from both of these trials compared with standard Work and Income New Zealand services?Hon JO GOODHEW: As I have already said in my primary answer the full mid-point evaluation is still being undertaken and is yet to be completed. What I do know is that the Government is not afraid to try some new approaches and therefore in order to do so we have to undertake the trials let them get to the end of the time and be evaluated properly.Carmel Sepuloni: Given the failure of these trials will she cease experimenting on people without their consent?Hon JO GOODHEW: These people are all voluntarily in these trials—the member has obviously missed that point—so we are not experimenting on them. But what I have to say is that the Government is certainly saying “Just business as usual and leaving people on benefits without hope of getting into work is not our style.” though it may well have been the style of the previous Government.Carmel Sepuloni: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request from the Ministry of Social Development dated 4 September which states that there were no detectable improvements and there were also no consent forms and clients did not know they were part of a treatment group.Mr SPEAKER: It has been well described. Leave is sought to table that particular Official Information Act request. Is there any objection? There is objection. [Interruption] Order! I am going to issue a final warning to the front bench on both sides. If they are going to carry on an interchange during question time then they will be asked to go outside to the lobbies to do it. We are not going to have questions interrupted by very senior members of this House taking a conversation across the floor of the House.Carmel Sepuloni: Why has the evaluation been delayed for both the mental health and sole parent employment services by 6 months? Is it because the results are abysmal and the experiment has clearly failed?Hon JO GOODHEW: No.Carmel Sepuloni: Will she rule out a further extension of these trials given that the results are abysmal and the experiment has clearly failed?Hon JO GOODHEW: The member will just have to wait and see what the evaluation shows. However what I can tell the member is that the Ministry of Social Development is certainly able to respond to finding out what is working well and what is actually getting people into work and assisting these beneficiaries in their lives rather than being completely hell-bent on just leaving them on a benefit.