National’s campaign of tax cuts that give $400 million to the top 10 per cent of earners, at a time when 120 Kiwi kids every year are being hospitalised for malnutrition, shows they have lost their moral compass, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“It is shameful that in a modern country that the rate of children who are in hospital due to malnourishment has doubled in the time that National has largely been in power.

Labour’s comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis and ensure there’s enough state housing, means we won’t be paying through the nose for emergency accommodation like the current Government has to, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“National has hocked off state houses all over New Zealand, and now has to put families up in motels or – as we revealed yesterday – buy motels at more than double the most recent QV valuations.

Under Labour’s plan to build at least 1000 state houses each year, New Zealand wouldn’t be paying more than double the valuations for motels to house Kiwis needing emergency housing, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“Under questioning today, the Government revealed it has plans to buy another two motels to house Kiwis in need of emergency housing, in addition to the four it has already bought.

The fact that the number of people classified as homeless on the Social Housing Register has doubled over the past year alone should be the real reason for Alfred Ngaro’s recent apologies, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“As at 31 March 2017, there were 898 applications on the Social Housing Register where the main reason provided for the application was ‘homelessness’. That’s an increase of 470 or 110 per cent in one year.

The Government’s U-turn on their shambolic attempt to collect private client data from social services is an embarrassment for a senior Minister, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“After months of criticism and mismanagement, the Government has finally cut its losses and backed down from its callous demands for private client data from social services in their new contracts.

The independent review of the Ministry of Social Development’s data breach in April has shown, once again, that the Ministry cannot be trusted with private client information, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“The investigation by former Deloitte chairman Murray Jack exposes the portal, intended to be used by all social services to upload private client information, as simply not up to scratch.

Anne Tolley’s belated backtrack to finally allow Jobseeker clients suffering from cancer to submit only one medical certificate to prove their illness fails to adequately provide temporary support for people too sick to work, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“I’ve been calling for greater support for those with temporary illness and have had a members’ bill in the ballot for more than a year, but only now has Anne Tolley partially implemented one of the changes I proposed.

The latest quarterly benefit figures show a rising number of beneficiaries have left the benefit because they have gone to prison, while fewer are going into study, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“According to recent figures, in the three years to March 2017 there were 38 per cent fewer beneficiaries leaving the benefit to go into fulltime study.

The independent review into the Ministry of Social Development’s individual client level data IT system is too little, too late, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“The Minister of Social Development has finally seen some sense and called for an independent review into the IT system that will hold private client information from social services.

Families currently living in emergency accommodation face being forced out onto the street as motel accommodation in Auckland is filled up by contestants and visitors of the World Masters Games in coming weeks, says Labours social development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni.

“The World Masters Games are very welcome, bringing 25,000 registered contestants with 10,000 travelling supporters to Auckland from April 21-30, but the Government has dropped the ball by failing to plan for the significant impact on families currently receiving emergency accommodation.