Pursuant to section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister for Social Development and Employment makes the following amendment to the programme formerly titled the Special Needs Grant Programme (as established and approved on 18 December 1998).
Dated at Wellington this 19th day of December 2005.
DAVID BENSON-POPE, Minister for Social Development and Employment.
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A m e n d m e n t
1. Title—(1) This amendment is the Special Needs Grants Amendment (No. 2) 2005.
(2) In this amendment, the programme formerly titled the Special Needs Grant Programme is called “the programme”.
2. Commencement—This amendment comes into effect on the Monday after the date on which it is published in the
New Zealand Gazette.
3. Title of programme amended—Clause 1.1 of the programme is amended by omitting the word “Grant” where it first appears, and substituting the word “Grants”.
4. Restriction on payments—Clause 9.4B of the programme is amended by inserting, after the word “programme”, the words “, other than under clause 15 or part 6A,”.
5. Steps to freedom payments for released, sentenced and remand prisoners—(1) The heading of clause 15 of the programme is amended by inserting, after the word “Freedom”, the word “Re establishment”.
(2) Clause 15 of the programme is amended by revoking clause 15.4.1, and substituting the following clause:
“15.4.1 The chief executive may, on the applicant’s release or at any time not more than 5 days prior to the applicant’s release, make non-recoverable grants totalling not more than $350.00 to an applicant or towards the cost of:
(a) accommodation, bond, or rent in advance;
(b) beds and bedding;
(c) essential appliances;
(d) connecting telephone, electricity and gas;
(e) food;
(f) clothing and toiletry items; or
(g) other re-establishment costs
for an applicant who has been imprisoned or held in custody on remand for 31 days or more, the total amount of the grants to be reduced by any amount held by the prison or other custodian on the applicant’s behalf (including any amount held in the prisoner’s trust account, canteen account or earnings account).”
6. Persons released from custody under section 128A of the Immigration Act 1987—Clause 15A.1 of the programme is amended by omitting the words “penal institution” and substituting the word “prison (as defined in section 3 of the Corrections Act 2004)”.
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Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the amendment, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This amendment formally re-titles the Special Needs Grant Programme as the name under which it is more usually known, the Special Needs Grants Programme. It also limits the application of clause 9.4B of the programme, and extends the payment period, enables more than one payment to be made, and clarifies the types of costs for which payments can be made to released, sentenced and remand prisoners. A reference to a penal institution is removed and replaced by a reference to a prison as defined in the Corrections Act 2004, consequentially on that Act repealing the Penal Institutions Act 1954.