2. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What steps, if any, has she taken in response to the 2010 New Zealand Children’s Social Health Monitor released in December last year, which prompted the Children’s Commissioner to call for urgent action from the Government?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
The Children’s Commissioner and I agree that the global recession weighs heavily on the most vulnerable children in New Zealand. We also agree that the best way to improve outcomes for children and to strengthen families is to get parents out of that welfare trap and into work. Before the report was even released, we already had a number of initiatives under way, including a Future Focus package, and the Welfare Working Group, which we set up for fresh thinking. We increased the abatement levels, which I am particularly proud of, at a cost of $53 million to help some 28,000 beneficiaries. We invested $6.2 million over 4 years to help vulnerable teen parents. We considerably increased the number of special-needs grants. We shortened the waiting times of beneficiaries, and the list goes on.
In light of the list that goes on, is she aware that the report points out that 2,000 more children have been admitted to hospital with poverty-related illnesses under her watch—illnesses with links to economic hardship—and is this awful statistic the reason she was unavailable for comment when the report was released, yet comment was able to be made on her Christmas decorations that day?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
We have also seen this Government put a focus on homes and insulating homes. More than 60,000 have been done. Due to the outstanding work of my colleague the Minister of Health we now have more Māori kids being immunised—
Mr SPEAKERI invite the honourable member to repeat her supplementary question, because it appeared to me that the Minister had some information she wished to impart to the House, but in fact she is meant to answer a question. The question may not have been the best question in the world, and that may give the Minister some licence, but she should not just make a speech to the House.
In light of her list of so-called achievements, is she aware that the report points out that 2,000 more children have been admitted to hospital with poverty-related illnesses under her watch—illnesses with links to economic hardship—and is this awful statistic the reason she was unavailable to comment when the report came out, yet comment was able to be made about her Christmas decorations that day?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
The question is about 2,000 more children being in hospital and about health. Yes, I am aware of that. I am also aware that more Māori kids are being immunised at age 2 than ever before in our history and that 83 percent of young New Zealanders under 6 now have free access to a general practitioner, compared with 70 percent under the party opposite when in Government. Under the last Government 8 percent of kids were getting a before-school check. That figure is now up to 70 percent, so, yes, gains have been made, and I say thanks for the work of the Minister of Health.
If, as she has claimed on no fewer than 140 occasions, “Every day … I invest energy and passion into making a difference in the lives of children”, why does the 2010 report show that under her stewardship half of all children living in severe hardship do not have wet-weather gear or proper footwear, have had doctors’ visits postponed, and share a bed, and when will her so-called energy and passion start to work for those children?
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
Since we have been in Government we have had a number of initiatives to protect our children. I can talk about the non-governmental organisation First Response, which we have initiated. We have Child, Youth and Family social workers in hospitals for the first time, and multidisciplinary meetings before the discharge of a child who has been abused. Whānau Ora has been introduced, with $120 million before it, and we have funding for extra Child, Youth and Family social workers. The list is incredibly long. It is more than a sentence in the paper, which is all we have heard as a policy from that member.
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
It has been 2 years in the wilderness, and all of a sudden the missed opportunities are noticed.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was very specific. There was no need to go off and talk about the wilderness and other people. The Minister should just answer the question.
Some of the questions have been very long, and many parts of them did give the Minister a lot of opportunity to say a range of things in response, but that particular question was pretty brief and asked just one thing: when the Minister expected certain things to take effect. There may be no particular answer to that, but some attempt to answer the question would be appreciated.
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
The point I make is that after 9 years a lot of money was thrown at the social services and at those children in particular. I think the questions that were not asked at that time were what was working and what was not working. This Government is prepared to look at that. The initiatives we put in place are already working. They are making a difference to the most vulnerable children. We will continue to put consideration into those efforts and make a considered effort.
That particular question had no particular answer, but it was a brief question. When policies are planned, part of the planning ought to indicate the time frame for policies to take effect. It is not unreasonable to ask what the time frame for that might be. If the question had had some political content in it, then it is fair enough to attack the Opposition, but it did not. It referred to the list of policies the member had mentioned and asked when it was expected they might take effect. I will not ask the Minister to respond further, because we have taken up enough time, but I ask the Minister to think about that in answering questions. An earlier question was very convoluted and gave the Minister a lot of licence, but members should listen to the questions. That question was not convoluted and, in my view, deserved a better answer.
Katrina ShanksHon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
Yes, I received a copy of a letter from the Children’s Commissioner that praises the Prime Minister’s focus on children in his speech to this House on Tuesday, and I quote: “In the past I have been critical of the lack of weight given children’s interests in Government decision-making. It is therefore important I acknowledge the attention paid to children in your statement.”