Beyer Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Beyer Georgina: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:622;Page:17373] 
1. GEORGINA BEYER (Labour—Wairarapa) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What is the Government doing to ensure people on sickness and invalids benefits have access to the rehabilitative services they need to enable them to return to work where possible? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Yesterday Annette King and I launched a partnership between Work and Income and the Capital and Coast District Health Board to support people on sickness and invalids benefits to get back to work. The programme has already been operating successfully in the Counties Manukau District Health Board region since April this year. We are already seeing results from our $20 million investment in helping people on sickness and invalids benefits return to work with a 17 percent increase in the number moving into full-time work and a 14 percent increase in the number entering part-time work. I congratulate the Ministry of Social Development and the two district health boards on bringing together this cutting-edge programme and look forward I hope to it being successfully rolled out across the country in the near future and to seeing many more people return to work. 
Georgina Beyer 
: What specific supports will be available to help people with psychiatric or psychological conditions return to employment? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The vast majority of people who experience mental ill health want to work and can do so with the right support. The Providing Access to Health Solutions (PATHS) programme will offer specially tailored clinical and social support for clients experiencing anxiety depression stress or similar mental health conditions to ensure a speedy return to employment. One barrier to employment we can all have a hand in removing is the barrier created by a fear of and prejudice against people with mental health conditions. Anybody who has seen the “one in five” advertisements on television will be aware that these disabilities often cannot be seen but can be a real barrier. Our understanding of these disabilities will ensure that those people do get back into the workplace. 
Dr Paul Hutchison 
: Does the Minister agree that his Government’s rehabilitative services will have to improve vastly given its record that has seen the number of sickness beneficiaries rise from 33000 in 1999 to over 44000 in 2004 and the number of invalids beneficiaries increase from 51000 in 1999 to over 72000 in 2004? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Yes these figures are of concern. I note for example that during the time of the last National Government these benefit figures went up by 69 percent and 84 percent. Unlike that Government however we are doing something about this. As I said we have seen a 17 percent increase in the number of people going back into full-time employment and a 14 percent increase in the number of people going back into part-time employment. I know that the National Party is about to embrace this policy just as it did our superannuation policy. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: In light of the fact that the trial the Minister is claiming success for involves as I understand it fewer than 200 people why is he claiming this as a success when the number of adults supported by a sickness or invalids benefit has increased by 35 percent to almost 140000 people since he has been the Minister? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As I mentioned before this is an issue that affects all OECD nations. In the 1990s we saw an increase of up to 84 percent in this area so I imagine that the member will applaud the fact that the 4700 people in the Wellington region who are eligible for this programme now will be part of a programme that has seen 17 percent more people going back into full-time employment and 14 percent more people going back into part-time employment. This is the first time the House has seen a turn-round in these figures—thanks to this good Government—and I imagine that everyone will want to adopt these policies very soon. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister intend to move to a system whereby sickness and invalids beneficiaries will be required to seek treatment if it is appropriate to their incapacity particularly in response to the significant increase in the number of stress and depression cases which I raised for the first time early last year; if not why not? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: People who are on a sickness or invalids benefit are required to undergo visits to their doctor for assessment. They go straight away to get on to the benefit. They go after 13 weeks if they are on a sickness benefit and they are required to go back every 4 weeks after that. So they are required by that constant updating of their health status to get on with fixing their health needs. One of the good things about the PATHS programme is simply that in this region for example 4700 people will be working both with us and with their primary health organisation provider to improve their chances of going back to work. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister’s answer is already too long. 
Georgina Beyer 
: When was stress recognised as a distinct category of mental health condition for sickness and invalids benefit eligibility purposes? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Interestingly enough stress was recognised in 1995 as a distinct category of mental health condition. Having created the situation I can only think now that the National Party is about to flip-flop on that decision as well. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: This is the only warning today. 
Judy Turner 
: Why has an Official Information Act request made by United Future in August for progress reports on the Manukau case management pilot for sickness and invalid beneficiaries yet to receive a response from the Minister’s office and now that the matter is with the Ombudsman will he give a commitment to provide the information forthwith? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I have an agreement with the Ombudsman to get all those requests forthwith.