Social Welfare spending up

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 8

Social Welfare spending up

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Over-all expenditure by the Social Welfare Department increased 9.5 per cent, from $4006 million in 198384 to $4387 million in 198485, according to the department’s annual report to Parliament. Benefits, pensions and national superannuation had accounted for 95.9 per cent of this figure in 1984-85 — running at $4207.4 million. Remaining Social Welfare spending was on social work services, at $97.5 millioin, and administration services, at $82.1 million. Special payments had been made to victims of flooding in Te Aroha, Thames and Coromandel areas in February of

$97,904, while assistance had continued to some of the families affected by the Southland floods in January last year, totalling $212,745. By March 31, 1985, there were 56,548 domestic purposes benefits in force, an incresae of 3404 over the previous year. Of these, 71 per cent were paid to people separated from their legal or de facto spouses, and 19 per cent to unmarried parents. Expenditure on Family Care totalled $60,460 in 1984-85 and, by March 31, it was payable to 164,776 families with 364,887 children. Of the 9267 sickness benefits in force at March 31, 5447 were being paid to men and 4180 to women, and an extra payment for a dependent spouse was included in benefits paid to 1982 men and 114 women. The average duration of sickness benefits (including emergency benefits) which ended during the year was 21.2 weeks for men and 20.3

weeks for women. Over-all, the number of sickness benefits granted during 1984-85 was 32,114, compared with 32,828 in 1983-84. Of the 34,825 unemployed benefits in force at March 31, an extra payment for a dependent spouse was included in benefits paid to 5591 men and 265 women, and child supplements were paid 4940 benefits for 10,543 children. The average duration of unemployment benefits (not including emergency benefits) which ended during the year was 18.1 weeks, being 18.3 weeks for men and 17.7 weeks for women. While full-time students were excluded from the unemployment benefit, those who could not find full-time work in the holidays could be considered on the grounds of hardship. During the 1984-85 summer vacation, 4752 applications was received, of which 2947 were approved and 1805 declined.

During 1984, Children and Young Persons Courts recorded 12,233 appearances — up 64 on 1983. Some 10,883 of these were made by young people aged between 14 and 17 years. The total number of people receiving national superannuation at March 31 was 473,291, compared with 463.982 a year earlier. The gross expenditure for the year on national superannuation was about $2BOO million. There were significant in-

creases in the number of people requiring the D.P.B. and invalids benefits during the year, the department said. The number getting those benefits at March 31 was 6.4 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, than the figures for a year earlier. But there had been an encouraging drop in unemployment benefits, starting in late 1983. At March 31, 1985, there were 38,419 benefits being paid, compared with 50,136 at March, 1984.