Lotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 11 September 2012. Volume:683;Page:5041. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: What recent announcements has she made on the Government’s comprehensive welfare reforms? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Today we have announced that as part of the Government’s welfare reforms we are introducing social obligations for those beneficiaries with children. These social obligations will require that their children are attending 15 hours a week early childhood education from age 3 attending school from age 5 or 6 and enrolled with a general practitioner and that they complete core Well Child / Tamariki Ora checks. I believe these obligations are reasonable achievable and reflect the expectations of most New Zealanders. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: How will these new social obligations ensure education and health services benefit vulnerable children? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Many of our most vulnerable children are dependent on adults in the benefit system and this is an opportunity to make sure we give these children the best start in life. Research shows that only 40 percent of DPB recipients and only 60 percent of those on the unemployment benefit with a child of early childhood education age were attending early childhood education. We want to get that number up. That is one of the reasons the Minister of Education Minister Parata is targeting early childhood education attendance and has made it a key result area and certainly I am happy to support that with this initiative. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does every child in New Zealand at age 3 have access to early childhood education today? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: No and that is why we have said with the obligations that if there are barriers that people cannot overcome we want to try to help them do that. But if they have got access and they are not taking it up then there may be sanctions further down the process. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: What requirements will there be for parents who are not on benefits to fulfil her social obligations? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: As I said the Minister of Education is putting quite a targeted approach around those who are not actually attending early childhood education in that there is a requirement and it would be very helpful for them to be there. This is about those who are on benefits. We know that many of these children are our most vulnerable and do need that kind of support. We can put this lever in and we are. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I want to hear this next supplementary question. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: What other announcements has she made that make changes to the welfare system? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: It is fair to say that it has been very comprehensive. Last week we announced that people with outstanding arrest warrants will no longer receive the benefit while evading the police. If someone has an unresolved arrest warrant we will stop their benefit until they do the right thing and come forward to the authorities. The truth is that at any one time there are 15—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Close though I am to the Minister I can no longer hear her answer given the level of interjection. It is not reasonable. All members have a right to ask questions. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Certainly the Opposition can call out but this is what is called doing your job. That party actually did not do it for 9 years so there is a lot for me to pick up and actually get right in the welfare system. So if it had gone back and done this many many years ago as should have been done—at any one time there are 15000 people in New Zealand with more than 37000 warrants and of those people 8200 are on a benefit. We are effectively paying them for being on the run from the police. I think that is disgraceful. I think it is disgraceful that that party let that go for 9 long years and it is time that this Government actually tidied that up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Question No. 7 Grant Robertson. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! I want to hear this question.