Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 19 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3751. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Does she stand by her statement that “you need to look at the 16 and 17-year-olds and for the very first time our focus is keenly going on them”? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Yes and that is why we are making significant changes to ensure that we are focused on getting more 16 and 17-year-olds into education training or work-based learning and not going on to a benefit. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Can she genuinely maintain she has a keen focus on young people when school-leavers with no plans have stepped into a black hole given that she has shut down Youth Transition Services and the replacement services have had their start date changed by her yet again and will not be opening their doors until at least the end of August? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I believe that those services are continuing to work with those young people so they are getting those services. But on 20 August that will be changing. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Is it acceptable for her to tell Youth Transition Services to continue operating when they have not got a contract with the Ministry of Social Development when many schools still do not know the information they are meant to be providing to them and when the legislation underpinning the whole thing including privacy issues still has not been passed? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I have a number of bits of good news for the member. The legislation will be passed this afternoon so that is going well and is all on track. Then we have a notice period where we are going to those young people and making sure they know what is happening. The other part of it is that the schools are not actually providing that information directly; it is coming from the national office with ENROL. So it is quite straightforward for us to be extracting the information we need and to be using it accordingly. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Is she asking Youth Transition Services to operate without a contract and without a mandate? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: It is quite common for contracts to roll over and continue on. That is what happens quite often. There is often a gap between what was going to be an end date and then a new date. It happened under Labour. It is happening under National. It is quite normal for it to happen and that is what is happening in this instance. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does her keen focus include her staff instructing Youth Transition Services that no matter what it cannot refer young people to Work and Income even when some youth services branches are meant to now service these needs with just one office and few experienced staff and are covering geographic areas equivalent to half the South Island? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: As we go through the transition we are going to have Work and Income staff actually in those offices. So they will not have to refer them there; they will have a staff member on site who will be able to work with them. So we are obviously conscious of what the changes are that are coming up and what needs to be done. We are working closely with them. The feedback I am getting is how positive it is and how much they are looking forward to the work that is going on.