Posts by Marc C
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Speaker: How is Government evaluating…, in reply to Marc C,
MSD, OIA rqst, Advisors, MHES, SPES, WAA, reports, WINZ, reply, anon, 19.11.15.pdf
Here is a “clean” copy of the above mentioned OIA response from MSD (from 19.11.15), giving answers to questions about benefit components, the once appointed Health and Disability Panel, external and internal Advisors - and reports by them, about trials in the form of mental health employment services, sole parent employment services, MAB hearings data and some sundry information (some not supplied, some without giving any explanations).
-
MSD, OIA rqst, Dr Bratt, H+D Panel, MHES, SPES, WAA,, reply, hi-lit, 19.11.15.pdf
MSD, O.I.A. request, to C.E. of M.S.D., base benefit break down, anon, 08.07.15.pdf
MSD, O.I.A. request, to C.E. of MSD, Bratt, H+D Panel, Reforms, anon, 08.07.15.pdf
Having just obtained a copy of an OIA response from MSD, through a trusted source, it appears the evaluation of the Mental Health Employment Services and Sole Parent Employment Services is not going to be completed before June 2016. That is after Jo Goodhew told Carmel Sepuloni in reply to question 8 (during question time) on 17 Sept. 2015 that a mid point evaluation was to be completed by the end of this year:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/speeches/51HansS_20150917_00000466/sepuloni-carmel-oral-questions-%E2%80%94-questions-to-ministers
Quote: “A full mid-point evaluation is still being undertaken and is due to be completed by the end of this year.”But an OIA received by an associate of mine, and entrusted with me, suggests it will not be made public before mid next years. The OIA response also reveals that the trials the government has so far been running for those new contracted services (paying high fees to providers for successful referrals) are anything but successful.
If the figures stated in the response are anything to go by, the actual referrals into lasting jobs or longer term employment are rather small, and there is little in the way of information about how many of all the job placements actually lead to permanent employment for the target groups.
As for much other very interesting information, some has again been withheld for partly very questionable reasons, and other information has not been provided at all. See the high lit version of the scan copy of the response from MSD from 19 Nov. 2015.
The questions that were actually put to MSD on 08 July 2015 are listed in the PDF files listed below the OIA response (see above).
In all honesty, I do not believe some of the answers given to the various questions! Some do not seem credible to me, but check it out for yourselves. This is stuff the MSM do not bother presenting to the public.
More will be published soon via the small blog 'nzsocialjusticeblog2013'.
-
Access: Social media, disability…, in reply to Sacha,
Maybe not so "Godwin" after all? Of course I stretched it a bit, with some comments further above, but good observers can detect stuff that goes on, that should get us very, very worried about the future of our democracy. A Herald editorial being changed as mentioned that is indeed just more evidence, I think. Also take note of other things, such as much printed and published and reported now being sponsored by vested business interests, who are of course favoured very much under this present government. Where will it end?
-
Access: Social media, disability…, in reply to Marc C,
Of course, New Zealanders would never fall for demagogery and brainwashing, right?!
All is well in NZ is what I hear every day in the media, cleansed of certain known critics, and disability and so are swept under the carpet, when it comes to discussion and challenges of the status quo. We cannot compare the NZ situation with the German 1930s situation, but there are some resemblences in propaganda, I fear.
-
We are going to get more experiments I fear:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/51HansQ_20151105_00000004/4-budget-2015%E2%80%94beneficiariesOf course it cannot be compared with what happened in Germany in the past, but nevertheless, some slight resemblance to trends may show:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeit_macht_frei
http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/GP%20CME/Friday/C1%201515%20Bratt-Hawker.pdf
Dr Bratt must be one of the best paid propagandists for government, we have now been waiting since 2013, for the MSD and Ombudsman to make his salary available, under the OIA. Yes, another cover up and hatchet job, this country is full of lies and manipulation, I have NO trust in NZ government and institutions.
Under Hitler also most in the middle class and so were totally happy with the way things were going, they had a great time. I am reminded of that when I look at NZ now:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_PartyNZers are wrapped into rugby and other entertaining great news, and excitement, but seem to forget other matters of concern.
-
Talking about agencies, and problems dealing with them, perhaps we can start with sending the Office of Ombudsmen a message re the lack of transparency and accountability that many state agencies show us. Many have a poor record on OIA requests and how they provide sought information.
As part of a wider review of the OIA practices and processes, and the issues that have come to the attention of the Chief Ombudsman, they are conducting a survey, which ends tomorrow, 05 Nov. 2015.
Some here may wish to participate in that, and send the Ombudsman some feedback, so we may finally get some action on that front:
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/newsroom/item/review-of-oia-practices-surveys-of-requesters-and-government-workershttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OIAsurvey1
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OIASurvey2Having had many disappointments and endless frustrations with OIA responses, some coming only after months, some only offering little information, others not answering any requests at all, I strongly encourage readers here to do at least one of those surveys.
The OIA has never been abused more than under the present government, and many agencies withhold lots of information for dubious reasons, simply doing all to avoid accountability.
-
UPDATE: An EVALUATION REPORT on “recent” social welfare reforms is apparently due LATE this year! This has been said in an answer to a question on Parliament:
On 17 September 2015, in the NZ House of Representatives (Parliament), the Labour opposition spokeswoman on Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, put a hard question to the Associate Minister for Social Development, asking about the government’s position on the apparently poor outcomes of so-called “trials” in the form of Mental Health Employment Services (MHES) and Sole Parent Employment Services (SPES). She appeared to have already received a response to an Official Information Act (OIA) request from the Ministry, putting into question the effectiveness and success of the new contracted out services.
The Associate Minister Jo Goodhew appeared a bit tense and annoyed, and was reluctant to provide any proper response or any useful data. Pressed for an answer, she then simply said to Carmel Sepuloni, that she would have to wait until late in the year for an “evaluation report”. That report though was supposed to have been presented already, according to earlier indications.
So we continue to be left in the dark, about how many persons that took part in these supposed “wrap around service” delivering programs were actually successfully placed into any suitable, lasting and paid employment.
What should also be of great concern, was that the Associate Minister was actually guilty of misleading the House of Representatives Parliament) when giving her answers. First though, see this video:
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39670You hear and see how Carmel Sepuloni asked about details about the Sole Parent Employment Service and also Mental Health Employment Service, run on a trial basis for over a year now, and where NO real data has been made available about their supposed “success”. She asked for a response to the conflicting, worrying details she appears to have received by way of an OIA request.
As for parts of the answer by Jo Goodhew, Associate Minister, she was misleading the House!
First see her details here, on the glossy Parliament website:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/jo-goodhewShe claims there is no obligation for mental health suffering or sole parents to take part in the employment referral programs that MSD now use through outsourced, contracted service providers. The truth is that “officially” there is no obligation for mental health sufferers on health related benefits to join the MHES, but there is most certainly an obligation for sole parents to participate, as the following shows:
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/forms/sole-parent-support-obligations-and-privacy-form.pdfYes, there is most clearly an OBLIGATION to take part in such measures, that assist a person that receives the Sole Parent Benefit to get employment. See 2. for part time work obligations:
“take part in any other activities that Work and Income refer me to, such as attend any job training courses, seminars, work experience or work assessments (including rehabilitation, but not medical treatment) that will improve my work readiness or help me get work”So in denying that there is an obligation, implying that it is supposed to be all voluntary is simply untrue, and hence Jo Goodhew misled the members of Parliament, which should be a serious matter. So far nobody appears to have bothered raising this, so we must watch this space.
As for the supposed “voluntary” participation of mental health suffering persons on benefits, they will indeed also face some expectation to participate in measures that assess their work capability and that may assist in getting them “prepared” for taking on employment. This has already been covered in other posts on this blog, and such requirements are stated in the Social Security Act.
According to the Associate Minister an “evaluation” of MHES and SPES will be due later in 2015. As the government has a habit to publish bad reports late on Fridays, or just before long weekends, I presume that such an evaluation report will be presented just before Christmas, so that the media and the public will not pay much attention to it, because then they will have other (important) things on their minds.
As for some independently sought data on job placements for such "trials", a complaint is now before the Office of Ombudsmen, still very slow at being progressed, as I have been advised. Clearly MSD did not provide all the information sought in response to a separate OIA request, and the Ombudsman will have to ask the Ministry (yet again), why they did not provide the specified information that should already be readily available now.
-
An interesting new report by Bill Rosenberg and the CTU, reveals how dishonest the "investment approach" is that the present government is using to address long term welfare dependency and costs.
The government's "investment approach" to welfare reform is very flawed, and seems to be so designed to reduce only the immediate costs for the state, without considering the wider implications, including risks, personal health costs, and more, for those not coping with work or other obligations. There may be long term other costs, but also benefits, that have not been considered. So MSD are rather only looking at their own balance sheet, to get numbers of beneficiaries reduced, no matter what other costs may be created in the longer term.
Here is that interesting paper on this, it proves again, we are presented rather flawed, misguided policies, that only make things look better, but hardly deliver what was promised:
Carmel Sepuloni, Labour's spokeswoman for social development matters put some questions forward on 17 September 2015, to the Associate Minister for Social Development:
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39670She appears to have OIA info that proves that newly started trials are not delivering what was expected. So we are supposed to get an evaluation report late this year. Perhaps that will be on Christmas Eve then, when most people, including the media, will have other matters on their mind. I am ready for surprises.
-
Talking about policy and disability, there was some interesting questioning happening in Parliament yesterday. We got a first glimpse of what can be expected to be delivered as a kind of “evaluation report” on new, outsourced, contracted social security programs, such as the so-called ‘Mental Health Employment Services’ and also the ‘Sole Parent Employment Service’. I bet it will be made public on Christmas Eve, when most will be firmly focused on planning their summer holidays, and on preparing the Christmas celebrations. But have a watch and listen of this question that Carmel Sepuloni, Labour spokesperson on social development, put to the Associate Minister questerday:
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39670
So the “trials” for “Mental Health Employment Services”, and apparently even for “Sole Parent Employment Services”, appear to have been an abysmal failure. This is according to information obtained under the OIA and received on 04 September this year.
This was already becoming somewhat evident, when an earlier OIA request was responded to by MSD earlier this year, but which few appear to have taken note of, although it was made available via a post on a blog in April 2015:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/mental-health-and-sole-parent-employment-services-msd-withholds-o-i-a-information-that-may-prove-their-trials-a-failure/Here is a downloaded PDF version, easier to read, with that same post:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/mhes-spes-msd-withholds-o-i-a-info-that-may-prove-trials-a-failure-post-nzsjb-final-14-04-2015.pdfWith other more recent OIA responses that were received, and that are also now presented in a blog post, it is also becoming apparent, that there is NO real, convincing EVIDENCE that MSD could present on supposed “medical scientific research” that prove the “health benefits” of paid work in open employment, and also the supposed harm to health caused by “worklessness”. Thus we can assume that the whole, much hailed welfare reform program, started by Bennett and English, is now falling to pieces:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/msd-and-dr-david-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-claiming-worklessness-causes-poor-health/The MSM does not seem to take note of all these developments, that is so far. Perhaps they can bother reading some real information that deserves to be reported on, besides of the Rugby World Cup, the Red Peak and flag debate, and what else there is.
So “wicked policy problems” remain, and remain unresolved, I fear.
-
It was yesterday in Parliament, when we got a first glimpse of what can be expected to be delivered as a kind of mid term "evaluation report" on new, outsourced, contracted social security programs, such as the so-called 'Mental Health Employment Services' and also the 'Sole Parent Employment Service'. I bet it will be made public just before Christmas, when most will be firmly focused on planning their summer holidays, and on preparing the Christmas celebrations. Anyway, readers may find this of interest:
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39670
That was Carmel Sepuloni, Labour's spokesperson on social security, asking the Associate Minister for Social Development some hard questions!
As had already been suspected long ago, the "trials" for Mental Health Employment Services", and apparently even for "Sole Parent Employment Services", appear to have been an abysmal failure, according to Carmel Sepuloni, who got an OIA response on 04 September, which she used to ask her questions in Parliament yesterday.
All this was already becoming somewhat evident, when an earlier OIA request was responded to by MSD earlier this year. See details here:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/mental-health-and-sole-parent-employment-services-msd-withholds-o-i-a-information-that-may-prove-their-trials-a-failure/Here is a downloaded PDF version, easier to read, with that same post:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/mhes-spes-msd-withholds-o-i-a-info-that-may-prove-trials-a-failure-post-nzsjb-final-14-04-2015.pdfSo given other recent OIA responses, and also the fact, that NO real, convincing EVIDENCE was presented by MSD on supposed "medical scientific research" that is claimed to prove the "health benefits" of paid work in open employment, and also the harm to health caused by "worklessness", we can assume that the whole welfare reform agenda is now falling to pieces:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/msd-and-dr-david-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-claiming-worklessness-causes-poor-health/The MSM does not seem to take note of all these developments, maybe, it is, because it affects mostly only those non-voting members of the underclass, who are not worth reporting on, that is, unless they are (in some cases) charged and prosecuted for hideous crimes and put before our courts.
Are "beneficiaries" still the most discriminated group of people in NZ, or have they now been replaced by Muslims, I wonder?