Ball Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBall Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 26 August 2015. Volume:708;Page:6163. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.DARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Yes if taken in context.Darroch Ball: Does she stand by her statement she made in reference to the Defence Force’s youth Limited Service Volunteer scheme funding that “We have reduced that because of course the numbers of young people as we have come through the global financial crisis have reduced.”?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Yes.Darroch Ball: Why is the Minister quoting falling youth unemployment which currently sits at 64000 as a reason to reduce funding to the Limited Service Volunteer scheme when in 2010 her ministry is quoted as using the exact same youth unemployment figure of 64000 as a reason to actually increase the funding to the scheme?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Because the number of young people on a benefit has fallen as the economy has recovered from the global financial crisis. I have just quoted to the member in the answer to the previous question which I will repeat again that the numbers have dropped by 23 percent of those young people who were receiving a main benefit in 2010. The important thing with the Limited Service Volunteer scheme is that we get the right young people going through that scheme and work with employers to make sure that they are able to go into work or work preparation at the conclusion of that scheme.Darroch Ball: I seek leave to table a document that was prepared by the Parliamentary Library which shows the 2010 quarter one unemployment at 64000 and quarter one 2015—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Such figures are published on a regular basis by Statistics New Zealand.Darroch Ball: What other reports including any Treasury reports that were not included in her Official Information Act response to me have made her go against her own ministry’s advice recommending funding for 1200 places and instead cut funding to 800 places—or were there no reports and she just wants to cut costs?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: As I have just said we have seen a reduction in the number of young people on a main benefit—Darroch Ball: What reports?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Well those are published on a quarterly basis. The member can see them on the website any old day; he does not need to actually have an Official Information Act request. I suggest that he does a bit of homework and go in and look on the Ministry of Social Development website.Darroch Ball: How can she justify reducing the funding when in 2014 of the over 1300 Limited Service Volunteers trainees 80 percent graduated from the course and 60 percent moved into employment and training compared with her ultimate Youth Guarantee scheme where just 60 percent—and in 2013 just 52 percent—graduated with National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 of which a portion never moved into any employment at all?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: As I have said the important thing with those young people going through the Limited Service Volunteers scheme is to ensure that at the end of that they are able to go into employment or into employment preparation. We have been working very hard with employers to make sure that that is a good transition from that scheme. That means that we have to be very careful about the young people whom we actually put on to that scheme because if they fail in that it can set them back quite considerably in the process.