Welfare blunders

Comments from a friend of mine -

“John Howard in Australia did this also , he felt it was much better to break down the social development system and create a lollie scramble for community organizations to fight for...This govt is trying to make out the systems social development and ACC are not functioning due to the breeches caused. Bet your bottom dollar the next step is privatization. Australia still does it”

Second WINZ blunder reveals client details

A piece of paper listing beneficiaries' names and the type of benefit they receive was handed to a Work and Income client in another embarrassing privacy breach for the agency.

Yahoo,

24 October, 2012

The document was apparently being used as scrap paper and had a hand-written note between staff members on it.

The paper was handed to a woman at a Work and Income office in Masterton last week, the Dominion Post reports.

The woman said the piece of paper was included in an envelope of her own paperwork, and had a note written on it telling a staff member to contact her.

The list of clients' names also included a deadline and priority status for each person.

Work and Income head Debbie Power said it was a "completely unacceptable" case of human error, as staff were not supposed to recycle documents as scrap paper.

She said it appeared the staff member had written on the paper without checking what was on the other side.

Ms Power apologised, saying the agency would contact the clients whose information was on the page.

Work and Income is reviewing its computer system after blogger Keith Ng revealed sensitive data could be accessed from its public computer kiosks, including details of children in care and up for adoption, foster parents, lists of people who owed the ministry money and the name of a person who had attempted suicide.

The Ministry of Justice has also taken down its public computers after a security flaw was revealed, and State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie has asked the government's Chief Information Officer to carry out an urgent review of all of the state sector's publicly-accessible systems.

Youth payment card misuse reported to minister

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says she is hearing stories of youth payment cards being misused, including food and batteries being purchased then sold on for cash.

Radio NZ,

24 October, 2012

The Youth Service Payment card is being rolled out by the Government for 16- and 17-year-old beneficiaries and some teenage parents.

The card is loaded with $50 a week which can be used to pay for food and other items, but not alcohol or cigarettes. It requires a PIN number and a signature for verification.

Mrs Bennett says she has been told by retailers and others in the community that people using the cards have been selling on food or batteries.

"People buy 10 cooked chickens and then go and sell them in the carpark. I can't stop what individuals do. All I can do is try and put the right security around it."

Security and banking experts say those security measures are too weak and could lead to fraud.

David Tripe of Massey University's finance, banking and property centre says signatures are hardly ever checked and can be forged.

However, the minister says she has been assured by Work and Income that having a verified signature to access the funds is best practice.

Mrs Bennett says the cards are as secure as a credit card, but is expecting a full briefing from Work and Income this week.

Comments from Frank McSkasy:

As Bennett laments,

“People buy 10 cooked chickens and then go and sell them in the carpark.

I can’t stop what individuals do. All I can do is try and put the right security around it.”

And no one – not one person in Bennett’s office; the Ministry of Social Development; or WINZ – guessed that this might happen?!?!

Such a system was bound to be easily circumvented, and once again National has wasted millions of our tax-dollars on a pointless exercise, rather than getting to the nub of the problem: job creation.

Where are the jobs, Mr Key, Ms Bennett, et al?

Idiots.