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: 20 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3137. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development 
: Does she stand by her statement with regard to the Community Response Fund that “We listened to concerns that the fund was due to finish. The effects of the recession were still being felt so we’re putting more funding in for 2011/12.”? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development) 
: 
 Yes and that is why for 2011-12 under Budget 2011 we invested funding for a further three rounds—631 grants totalling over $23.9 million. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Is she aware that for the final round of the Community Response Fund there were almost 500 applications the second highest of all nine rounds and almost 200 more than the first; if so what evidence has she received to indicate that the effects of the recession and the need for the Community Response Fund no longer exist? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yes I am aware of the number of applications that were made for the final round and I think that it was because people knew that it was the final round. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does she believe that the need caused by the recession when she brought the Community Response Fund into place still exists? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I think that things have improved. I think that I have been incredibly clear with the community organisations about that fund. We always said that it was time-limited and that it was established by the Government in recognition of the additional pressures. I think the fund could have gone on for ever. As a consequence we said that it was time-limited and we are now progressing with the next stage of our work working with NGOs and contracting. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does she acknowledge that the Community Response Fund was not her coming to the rescue of community organisations in a recession with a discretionary pot of money but a bridge to deal with the fact that she had canned Labour’s Pathways to Partnership? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I think if we look at the more than 2700 applications for the Community Response Fund and if we acknowledge that nearly $79 million was paid out to those organisations we see that it has been very successful. It has covered a gap. However we have been incredibly clear and transparent that it is a time-limited fund to get people through the worst of it. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: What does she intend to do to address the gap faced by hundreds of groups like Women’s Refuge which after spending a year working with the Ministry of Social Development on a resolution over future funding received notice that contracts would be arbitrarily rolled over leaving 16 refuges without any Community Response Fund or Family-Centred Services Fund funding? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: It is not me who has responsibility for funding for the Women’s Refuge as the member should know by now; it is my Associate Minister Turia. What I will say though— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think the Minister is trying to divert responsibility. She as the primary Minister gives the delegations and actually retains the overall responsibility. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is not up to us to dispute with Ministers who is responsible for certain matters. I have to take the Minister’s word on who is responsible. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! The Minister was still going to answer the question I think. She just pointed out that she was not primarily responsible for that aspect but I did not think she was going to avoid answering the question as a consequence. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was very clear from this end of the House that the Hon Tariana Turia takes the same view that it is a joke that this Minister is passing it back to her. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! That is definitely not a point of order and that is perfectly clear from this end of the House. 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: I shall continue. As the member would have seen in the estimates we are in quite a major transform of how we contract with NGOs. I am investing in services for outcomes. There are going to be more details on that in the upcoming weeks. In the Budget the member would have seen the Capability Investment Resource which is a fund of about $31.6 million that is going to be going to those organisations. It is under the responsibility of the deputy chief executive for family and community services.