Lotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:11046. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie)to theMinister for Social Development: What initiatives in Budget 2013 provide further support for families on low incomes?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development):A lot. There are a number of initiatives that are actually addressing support for families on low incomes. We have a strong record over the last 4½ years of targeting assistance to those who really need support the most. In Budget 2013 we announced a vast programme of initiatives and policies targeted to vulnerable and low-income families and particularly those with children. These initiatives will target them by providing an extra $1.5 million for budgeting services partnering the community to establish microfinancing loans and providing better value by procuring whiteware.Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: How will the Government’s microfinancing initiative make a difference for families?Hon PAULA BENNETT: A real issue of concern within our communities is the financial difficulties some families get into resulting in unsustainably high debt. We are looking into a microfinancing initiative where community-based organisations provide low or no interest loans to people with debt or who cannot access affordable credit and we are also looking at whether or not we consolidate the loans of those who have been in the hands of loan sharks.Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga: How will the whiteware procurement initiative provide better value for both beneficiaries and taxpayers?Hon PAULA BENNETT: What we currently see is that taxpayers pay out about $10.6 million a year on whiteware for beneficiaries. That of course has to be paid back by them. More often than not they buy a second-hand poor-quality machine. It breaks down relatively quickly. They are then stuck in a situation of having to either get it repaired or get another one while they are still paying off the first one. This procurement means they can get a new machine for probably around the same cost that gives them a warranty and certainty that at least what they have got is of a high quality.Jacinda Ardern: Is it academic to measure a problem and set a target to reduce it as she has claimed via interjection in question time today; if so has she told that to her colleague Tony Ryall or to Hekia Parata or in fact to all of her colleagues who are content to measure and target everything related to poverty but not poverty itself?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The member misrepresents as usual. So what the situation is is that I am not debating whether we should have a measurement; I am saying we have got plenty of measures and the measures are there. I am saying actually the country does not need an academic argument on which measure one chooses; what it needs is action. What it needs are the real consequences that are happening in the streets and that is what this Government is addressing through the Budget initiatives that we have seen and the work that has been going on for the last 4½ years.