4. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports, if any, has she received on the effect increasing workloads would have on regional Child, Youth and Family staff?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police) Link to this
The restructure that Child, Youth and Family has recently undertaken will put at least 52 more social workers on the front line. This restructure was designed to enable staff to deal with any increase in workload.
What is the Minister’s response to the report that the Kaitāia office of the Ministry of Social Development lacks resources, and that staff were ordered not to tell her of their woes when she visited them recently? If staff are not allowed to talk to her, and if reports to her have to be sanitised, how can she really know what pressures the staff are facing?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
I am sure the Minister would be very pleased to hear from that member about any reports like that. If the member really was genuine in her concern, she would have advised the Minister of it.
Does the Minister agree with the Kaitāia Ministry of Social Development management that the relationship between her and regional offices is “a relationship between a master and a servant—that is, the servant knows their place”? As the master, how does she hear the voices of her servants if they are to be muzzled?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
Things must have changed since Labour was in Government, because the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development, not the Minister, is the employer of the staff in the regional office. Obviously, it was much more political under the Labour Government.
Has the Minister or her staff given a directive to Ministry of Social Development staff not to meet with Opposition MPs so they can hear the pressures staff are facing? This—combined with her refusal to provide information, her obstruction of Official Information Act requests, and her refusal to provide answers to questions in a timely manner—shows a Government that is arrogant and fast getting out of touch with New Zealanders.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
The former member of Parliament for Clevedon, now the MP for Papakura, waited 6 long years when Labour was in Government to be allowed to go to the Ministry of Social Development buildings in Papakura, because of directives from the member and her ilk.
I seek leave to table a letter of complaint from me to Paula Bennett, written because she failed to provide answers in a timely manner to 84 written questions.
Mr SPEAKER
John BoscawenIs the Minister confident that the workload of Child, Youth and Family staff will be reduced, given the Prime Minister’s absolute assurance that parents will not find themselves under a full investigation from Child, Youth and Family staff for lightly smacking their children?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
The member is as concerned about child abuse as, I am sure, every member of the House is. It is obvious that Child, Youth and Family must consider any reports it receives and consider whether to investigate them further. What I might consider to be a bashing, someone else might consider to be a light smack. It is important that Child, Youth and Family takes a very sensible approach to the matter.