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: 21 March 2012. Volume:678;Page:1149. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Has she received any reports on the Future Focus welfare changes in 2010? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Yes. I have seen reports that say that since Future Focus changes in September 2010 52300 people who were on the unemployment benefit have gone through the reapplication process. As a result 12481 people cancelled their benefit. Of these 6479 did not complete the reapplication process 2459 cancelled for other reasons but 3389 told Work and Income that they had actually found work and should not have been receiving the benefit anyway. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: Has Future Focus had an impact getting young people off welfare? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yes. It is having an impact on the entire welfare population and on youth in particular. In February this year main benefit numbers were 4.2 percent lower than for the same month last year. That is 14411 fewer people on welfare and last month we had 2920 fewer young people on benefits than in January. We will continue our focus and the next stage of reforms I am confident will also make a significant difference. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Can she confirm that the number of people in receipt of main benefits has increased since her Future Focus reforms were introduced including those on the domestic purposes benefit and has increased in total by almost 80000 since she came into office? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: That member chooses to wear blinkers but actually we went through the worst recession that we have seen. Hence we have had such an increase in people on benefits. I think it is an important point to make that when we came into office we had a system that was able to support people. Her colleague was making allegations such as that there would be 24000 more people on the unemployment benefit in Christchurch but here we are a year later and there are only 100. Actually we have held I think and supported those who needed it most but we have also managed to move people into work and have done an outstanding job with that. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked a very straight question: whether the Minister could confirm that benefit numbers have increased since Future Focus was introduced in 2010. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Actually the last part of her question was around the 80000 more since I have been the Minister and that is the part of the question that I answered. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It would have been helpful perhaps had the Minister not criticised the questioner right at the outset of answering her question. The question was a fair enough question and the Minister did answer the last part of the question. The question did not criticise the Government. It just asked whether the Minister could confirm certain figures and to accuse a member of being blinkered because they ask a question is not reasonable. Does the member have a further supplementary question? I am prepared to offer the member a further supplementary question should she choose to use one because I was not happy about her being accused of being blinkered. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Can the Minister confirm that the number of people in receipt of main benefits has increased since her Future Focus reforms were introduced? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I have the unemployment benefit figures in front of me and in the last 12 months I can assure the House they have gone down by 7837.