Ngaro Alfred: Annual Review Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNgaro Alfred: Annual Review Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 03 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10712. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ALFRED NGARO (Chairperson of the Social Services Committee): It is an honour and privilege to speak as the chairperson of the Social Service Committee this evening in regard to the annual reviews. We know the Ministry of Social Development delivers two particular services. One is the social support service that it delivers both in the delivering and purchasing of services and the other is social policy advice. This advice is quite important. It also administers benefits and superannuation throughout New Zealand and it delivers that to over a million New Zealanders every year. So it is an important role that it plays. Also it is the largest Government department in New Zealand at the moment with 10100 full-time staff.I also want to commend the work of the chief executive Mr Brendan Boyle his senior management and all the work that they do. They came to the committee and presented their report and I would like to speak about some of those things in particular. The ministry’s total revenue in 2014-15 was $1.392 billion which is a 10 percent increase. It is a 10 percent increase on the 2013-14 Budget and that is quite significant. It shows that as a Government we have recognised the needs that are currently there and are providing for those needs as well.The areas of focus that were reported on were threefold: operating of the benefit system and supporting people into work; carrying out social housing assessments and supporting projects relating to social housing reform; and working to protect vulnerable children. I want to talk about some of those facts in my speech this evening. Reducing welfare dependency and supporting vulnerable children is a key priority of this Government under its Better Public Services programme.We have talked about some of the cross-sector leadership and agency work that has been happening and some of the work conducted has been quite significant. In the year ended 30 June 2015 the number of people receiving a main benefit decreased by 2.8 percent. That is something to be celebrated. In numbers that is 8237. There are 285345 people currently receiving a benefit. The most significant reduction—and I think this is something that is quite important and has been the focus of the ministry—is around sole parents. That is down to 6.5 percent. The job seeker numbers declined to 2.5 percent. I know there is not a lot of cheering on the other side but we on this side—Darroch Ball: Job seeker work ready. Are you sure about that Alfred?ALFRED NGARO: —know that it really is making a difference. Yes Mr Darroch Ball these are the figures; I know they are hard to accept. They are the figures that are there. Let us talk about sole parents—down to 6.5 percent. Why is this making a difference? I visited the teen parents unit at Henderson High School. Helen Peke was there and she was talking about the difference that this Government is making to some of the teen parents there. Young mums as young as 16 17 18 are going there. The focus on upskilling the ability to be able to take their young children there to be cared for and looked after and giving those teens the opportunity to move on—not to be dependent on welfare but to move into educational and employment opportunities—is significant. That is a fact. That is the reality. That is what is happening out there. [Interruption] I know that has got Labour members excited for all the right reasons and I know they love this.Here is another thing that will get you excited. Under this Government we have set what is called an aspirational goal. I know that previously there have not been a lot of goals. The aspirational goal is this: we want to reduce the overall number of working-age clients by 25 percent. That is right. It is an aspirational goal. Why? Because we on this side of the House truly believe that the longer that our people and our communities are on welfare the worse off they are in terms of their futures. So there is a significant goal that is really important as well.Here is some more evidence that measures the significance of the role that the Ministry of Social Development is playing—long-term beneficiaries. At 30 June 2015 65550 beneficiaries had been receiving job seeker support for more than 12 months. This is 3 percent fewer than the previous year. That is making a difference. Why? Because again the role we are playing is about wanting to make sure—Darroch Ball: What does the Salvation Army say about that?ALFRED NGARO: Well let us talk about the Salvation Army. Let us talk about the Faith Factory down in View Road in Henderson. You may not have visited but actually we go out and visit these places—real people and real places. We are talking to them about the roles that they are playing. That is right. We can name a place and name a person. We have actually been there. We have been to a soup kitchen to see the work that is happening and it is making a difference. It is changing lives—we have seen that as well. Thank you.