Duncan Helen: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Duncan Helen: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:608;Page:5098] 
6.  
HELEN DUNCAN (NZ Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Social Services and Employment 
: What initiatives is the Government taking to improve social policy development? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Social Services and Employment) 
: 
 This morning I announced an $8.6 million package of initiatives to ensure social policy development is supported by high-quality social research. The centrepiece is a project to encourage social science research networking leadership and collaboration within and between university and public service sectors. The project will encourage social science research excellence help identify and plug key research gaps and ensure public sector policy development is informed by timely relevant and excellent New Zealand research. 
Helen Duncan 
: What examples is the Minister aware of where social research has contributed to better outcomes for New Zealanders? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: One example would be the evaluation of the work-for-the-dole scheme in the late 1990s which proved that the scheme failed. It actually prevented people from finding work and ensured that they stayed on the dole longer. I congratulate Roger Sowry on commissioning the work-for-the-dole evaluation which proved that National’s current policy is a failure and will be a failure in the future if it ever gets a chance to implement it. It should be grateful for this research. 
Judith Collins 
: Why does one of the Minister’s social policy initiatives involve spending $400000 of taxpayers’ money on research into the increase in the number of sickness and invalids beneficiaries when he has previously supposedly given definitive reasons for the dramatic increase in numbers and why can he not just accept that this Government’s slack welfare policies are the real reason behind the massive increases? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: What I have said in the past is that we have an idea of why we think these benefit numbers are increasing but that we need to do definitive research and that is what the money is for. I understand that the member’s party intends to introduce work testing of sickness and invalids beneficiaries again if it ever gets a chance to do so. I am appalled by that policy. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Do those policy initiatives include significant means for reducing the 621-day investigation period of an urgent Child Youth and Family Services case or will the Minister continue to publicly wring his hands agree that it is not good enough and accept no responsibility? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member may have missed part of the discussion about the case that she raises in which I said that we do not accept that length of time. In the performance agreement the department now has a maximum of 6 months. 
Sue Bradford 
: Given the Government’s stated commitment to partnership with the community sector why is the Minister ignoring the large potential resource of community-based research and instead focusing his new programme on funding and increased support for academics especially given the fact that there are already 300-plus policy analysts at the Ministry of Social Development? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: It is appropriate that we do focus the bulk of our work on the people who do the research and they happen to be in tertiary institutions. But if the member reads my speech from this morning she will see that we made a great deal of effort to include consultation with the community on the way that this research will need to be done. That is why a large number of community-based people are at the social policy conference today and tomorrow. This is the single biggest social policy conference that I can remember in the history of this country and they are there. 
Judy Turner 
: In the light of the Minister’s comment this morning at the social policy research conference when he said: “Historically social research by Government agencies has been disparate.” can he confirm to the House whether the Government plans to absorb the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs into the Ministry of Social Development? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I can confirm to the House that we do not intend to absorb those ministries into the Ministry of Social Development.