Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 24 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6114. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Does she have confidence in Work and Income’s approach to privacy and the security of information? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Given what we all know and in reference to the kiosks I have very serious concerns. The incident that has come to light today is someone has made a mistake. They are always disappointing as mistakes are but one cannot always mitigate against human error. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Will her independent investigation into Work and Income’s privacy breach be broadened to include the at least 10 other incidents reported in the media this year alone including a ruling from the Human Rights Review Tribunal that found sustained and systemic Privacy Act breaches? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: As I have said the investigation that is going on is twofold. One is into the current situation with the kiosks. It is then expected that that will be broadened out into looking at other IT areas. What I would say to the member though is that mistakes have happened for years. They happened under Labour. They happened under this Government. I mean we certainly have seen mistakes with other things being leaked—things happen. I do not expect it; it is not the kind of quality we expect but actually human error and mistakes can be made. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does the case I received this afternoon of a Work and Income client who was given a list of jobs to take home only to find that the papers included a document with the personal details of another Work and Income client constitute human error or a systemic failure? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I have had that incident brought to my attention but only just recently so I would need to look into the details of it. But you can go back and look at other incidents. For example in 2004 when Ruth Dyson was Minister her office released— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The question asked whether this was just a mistake or a systemic error. If the Minister wants to go back the Minister should in her answer then make it clear she is not just attacking the other party but pointing out that in fact she believes this might be systemic. If the Minister wants to do that I will hear the Minister. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: No I am not going back and saying this is systemic. What I am saying is that human errors occur. I would take it that when Ruth Dyson released the private information of 1354 Department of Child Youth and Family Services children via a written question that was a mistake and a human error and not actually something that was systemic. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does the fact that a Work and Income staffer raised concerns about the security of the Work and Income kiosks a year ago but had these concerns dismissed by a local manager constitute human error or a systemic failure? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I think there is absolutely no doubt that we have very serious problems with the kiosks how they were networked in and the access that people had to that information. The fact that it was brought to the ministry’s attention and was not acted on is simply not good enough. That is why there is an investigation that is going on. I expect it to be answered; I expect it to be fixed. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does she consider that the Integrity Week that was held by the Ministry of Social Development in March according to its annual report to put “a spotlight on information security” was a success given Work and Income’s recent privacy breaches; if so will she be running another one next year with the use of more of what the ministry calls “scenario cards”? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: What I would say is that this actually proves that the Ministry of Social Development takes security seriously. It has made mistakes and it is the first one to stand up and be counted for that. But there are also things like human error. I find it ironic that the member wants to hang a case manager or a worker out to dry when that is actually not the case. It is simply a human error.