Social Security legislation now easier to understand

Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni is pleased to announce that the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill has had its third reading and will soon become law.

“Social security legislation is the basis of our welfare system and sets out how we support, care and provide for New Zealanders and that’s why it’s so important that the legislation is accessible, clear and easy to understand,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

“The rewrite of the Social Security Act 1964 was well overdue. The 50 year old Act was disjointed and hard to understand. It had been amended so often, it couldn’t be clearly read and it didn’t follow a logical path.

“The changes provide a clear and solid legislative platform to undertake the overhaul of the welfare system and provides clarity for users of the social security system.

The rewrite of the Social Security Act is policy neutral and will split social security legislation into three new Acts

· the Social Security Act 2018

· the Artificial Limb Service Act 2018

· the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018.

The full legislation will come into effect on 26 November 2018.

“Thank you to the many submitters who shared their views on the rewrite of the Act and to colleagues across the House for taking part in this important work,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

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