December 13, 2004
More Children Relying On Incapacity Benefits And DPB
Social Development Minister Steve Maharey said today that New Zealand is making "tremendous progress in addressing child
poverty".
According to Lindsay Mitchell, petitioner for a Parliamentary review of the DPB, "This claim is hard to swallow when the
number of children relying on each of the main benefits, bar unemployment, is up."
"In June 2000 a total of 209,622 children relied on either a DPB, sickness or invalid benefit. At the end of October
this year that number had risen to 218,724 - a four percent increase."
"If this is tremendous progress I'd hate to see what failure looks like."
Lindsay Mitchell petitioner for a Parliamentary review of the DPB forms available from www.liberalvalues.org.nz contact
dandl.mitchell@clear.net.nz