Korako Nuk: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 28 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:4106. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.NUK KORAKO (National) to the Minister of Finance: How does Budget 2015 continue the Government’s plan to deliver Better Public Services?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) on behalf of theMinister of Finance: Three years ago the Prime Minister set 10 challenging targets for the Public Service. These included improving health and education outcomes reducing crime lowering welfare dependence and increasing online connectivity. The framework has contributed some significant improvements. For instance there has been a 38 percent reduction in youth crime since 2011 the number of teenage sole parents on a benefit has dropped by 40 percent since 2011 and the Government has recently revised upwards its workforce skills target due to better than expected results. Budget 2015 builds on this with a $790 million child hardship package as well as more investment in health education welfare support and the justice sector.Nuk Korako: How did Budget 2015 deliver on the Government’s continued focus on supporting the most vulnerable New Zealanders?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: One of the most important things that we can do for vulnerable families is to help the parents into work and that is why in the Budget we increased obligations on those on a benefit to be available for work. The solidly growing economy has produced 194000 extra jobs since late 2010 meaning that we have already surpassed our aim of 170000 jobs by the middle of this year which we set in Budget 2011. Another 150000 jobs are expected by 2019 and we are continuing our focus on helping those on welfare into work where this is appropriate. We are having some success with this approach. Last year we reduced the expected cost of supporting current beneficiaries over their lifetime by $7.5 billion. A key part of this was getting more sole parents into work.Nuk Korako: How is better data helping the Government to meet the needs of vulnerable New Zealanders?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: We are using data to get a better understanding of the people who use our services and need our support. For example if you take the most vulnerable 1 percent of all 5-year-olds—that is around 600 children in a year or a 20-year pipeline of 12000 children—we know who these kids are and we also know that on current trajectories three-quarters of them would not get National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 that 40 percent would be on a benefit for more than 2 years before they are 21 and that a quarter of them would have been in prison by the time they are 35. They would face hardship but on average these children would cost taxpayers $320000 each before they turn 35 and some of them would cost well over $1 million. So we are changing services in order to intervene earlier to help people lead more fulfilling lives and where this works the Government’s books will also improve.Nuk Korako: What other steps were taken in Budget 2015 to advance the Government’s focus on delivering Better Public Services?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The flagship initiative of Budget 2015 was the $790 million child hardship package which provided more support for 160000 beneficiary and working families with incomes below $36350 a year. As I mentioned earlier the child hardship package also increased the requirements of those on a benefit to be available for work. The Budget also provides over $100 million for further initiatives to support vulnerable children including $49.8 million to continue funding Whānau Ora navigators to help families tackle problems $36 million over 4 years to support the Children’s Action Plan for at-risk children and an extra $23 million to bolster the work of Child Youth and Family.