26244 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction

26244 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: In the Minister’s departments, ministries and agencies for which savings have been identified resulting from the Government’s directive to reduce expenditure in the public service, if any, how many employees who have lost or are set to lose their roles, as well as vacancies that will not be filled, work with children as at 30 May 2024?

Hon Louise Upston: I am advised by the Ministry of Social Development and Employment that no positions have been confirmed for disestablishment resulting from the Government’s directive to reduce expenditure in the public service. The Ministry has advised that a change consultation process is currently underway and no decisions on actual disestablishments has been made yet. The current change process which is out for consultation has a proposed net reduction of 97 positions. No positions that work with children, people with disabilities, or who focus on Pasifika or Māori, health and safety professionals or economists have been proposed to be disestablished as part of the current change proposals.