Money for nothing – $128m wasted
The more money Labour spends, the more people end up on sickness and invalids' benefits, says National's Welfare spokeswoman, Judith Collins.
"The Social Development Minister can't possibly explain how he is spending $128 million to reduce sickness and invalid beneficiary numbers and yet the number of people on sickness and invalids benefits is ballooning."
In 2004, 111,412 people received sickness and invalids' benefits – that's rocketed to 124,481 today.
"That's an extra 13,069 people claiming the benefits since Labour promised to 'start to make some serious inroads into these numbers'.
"The Minister keeps talking up failed policies.
"He should accept that it's his Government's big-spending policies that have simply made the problem worse, not better.
"More tax payer money for failed sickness and invalids' benefits programmes translates to more people too sick to work.
"What exactly is David Benson-Pope doing?
"The real answer is to tighten the criteria for receiving sickness and invalids' benefits. Instead, the Minister blames doctors for the open gate policy his Government has brought in and continues to promote."
"The Social Development Minister can't possibly explain how he is spending $128 million to reduce sickness and invalid beneficiary numbers and yet the number of people on sickness and invalids benefits is ballooning."
In 2004, 111,412 people received sickness and invalids' benefits – that's rocketed to 124,481 today.
"That's an extra 13,069 people claiming the benefits since Labour promised to 'start to make some serious inroads into these numbers'.
"The Minister keeps talking up failed policies.
"He should accept that it's his Government's big-spending policies that have simply made the problem worse, not better.
"More tax payer money for failed sickness and invalids' benefits programmes translates to more people too sick to work.
"What exactly is David Benson-Pope doing?
"The real answer is to tighten the criteria for receiving sickness and invalids' benefits. Instead, the Minister blames doctors for the open gate policy his Government has brought in and continues to promote."