Ball Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBall Darroch: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7697. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.DARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister for Social Development: Does she stand by all her statements; if so why?Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Social Development): Yes when taken in context; because I believe them to be true and accurate based on the advice I received at the time.Darroch Ball: Does she stand by her statement in the House when justifying her decision to cut funding to the youth Limited Service Volunteer programme to just 800 places that “I rely on advice from my officials who are working with these young peopleevery day”?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Yes.Darroch Ball: How can that be the case when she directly ignored her officials’ advice that specifically recommended to actually increase funding for the programme; for the number of places to be at 1200 and not 800; that a Budget bid be prepared for such recommendations to Cabinet; and that the New Zealand Defence Force would be informed of those plans?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Because that is only one part of the advice that I received. Another part of the advice was that in the September quarter figures showed the number of 18 to 24-year-olds on a main benefit had fallen by 24 percent since 2010. I repeat: the idea of the Limited Service Volunteer scheme is to make available a work-ready programme for young people who are on a benefit. The numbers are now at 800 and I am confident that we have the right number of young people going into that course.Darroch Ball: How can her justification to reduce places to 800 be because “the number of young people on benefit has fallen as the economy has recovered” when her own officials advised her that their recommendation for 1200 places was based on “employment climate for young people” and “reflects the current economic situation” and the demand of the “target cohort”?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: I am not sure what document that member is quoting from but what I can tell him is that in fact the September quarter figures show the number of 18 to 24-year-olds on a main benefit has fallen by 24 percent. Accordingly because we were having difficulty filling the full number of places with suitable candidates who had a good chance of completing the course we have reduced the numbers to 800—remembering of course that we increased the numbers as a response to the global financial crisis.Darroch Ball: Can she explain why her officials have stated in the Ministry of Social Development’s own strategic plan document dated June 2015 that the ministry will be “investing more” into the Limited Service Volunteer employment scheme and yet at the same time she is actually reducing places and funding?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Yes I can explain it because this Government has a number of initiatives aimed at young people and helping them into work. So the Youth Services Strategy has been produced which provides wraparound services for young people and that runs alongside the Limited Service Volunteer employment scheme. In addition to that we are continuing to trial new methods of working with young people to help them into work because we know that the chances for them to lead a successful life depend on our getting them into work before they turn 20.Darroch Ball: I seek leave to table the advice given to the Minister obtained through the Official Information Act dated December 2014 which does state all—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I do not need to know more information. [Interruption] Order! The member needs to behave himself. I will put the leave. The paper has been described adequately. I will put the leave. It will be for the House to decide. Leave is sought to table that particular information from an Official Information Act application process. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Darroch Ball: I would like to seek leave to table the strategic intentions document from the Ministry of Social Development—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No that is available to all members.Carmel Sepuloni: Does she stand by her statement “moving off a benefit and into work is good for the whole family [as] it puts more money in the pockets of parents”; if so why then will she not support my Social Security (Pathway to Work) Amendment Bill which incentivises part-time work so those same parents can earn a little more without being penalised?Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Certainly this Government is encouraging people to come off benefits and into work because we know that that gives them and their families better lifetime outcomes. However the member’s proposal in her member’s bill has the opposite effect on people at the other end of the scale where they are able to work up to 30 hours a week and still remain on benefit. So it actually reduces the incentive for people to come off a benefit and go into full-time work.