Tēnā koe R Gavey,

Thank you for your email received 7 September 2020, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond. You can expect a decision as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request was received.
 
Nā mātou noa, nā

Official and Parliamentary Information team   |  Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development

Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake

-----Original Message-----
From: R Gavey <[FYI request #13705 email]>
Sent: Monday, 7 September 2020 3:07 PM
To: OIA_Requests (MSD) <[MSD request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Data on "marriage type relationship" fraud investigations and prosecutions

Dear Ministry of Social Development,

I would like to make a request under the Official Information Act 1982 for data on the Ministry of Social Development’s benefit fraud investigations and prosecutions where a line of enquiry was relationship status (or “marriage type relationship” fraud).

More specifically, I would like the following information:

1. Number of people receiving the sole parent support payments • Broken down by year (since it was first introduced to 2020) • Broken down by gender • Broken down by ethnicity

2. Number of allegations of benefit fraud received by the Ministry of Social Development broken down by line of enquiry (e.g. type of fraud) and year from 2000 to 2020.
• What are the channels through which the Ministry receives these allegations?

3. Number of investigations completed by the Ministry of Social Development broken down by line of enquiry (e.g. type of fraud) and year from 2000 to 2020.

4. Number of investigations completed where a line of enquiry was relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to 2020.
• Broken down by year
• Broken down by gender
• Broken down by ethnicity

5. Percentage of debts established out of the number of investigations completed broken down by line of enquiry (e.g. type of fraud) and year from 2000 to 2020.

6. Number of prosecutions where a line of investigation was relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to 2020.
• Including the total number of attempted prosecutions and the total number of successful prosecutions • Broken down by year • Broken down by gender • Broken down by ethnicity

7. Overpayment value established from successful prosecutions broken down by line of enquiry (e.g. type of fraud) and year from 2000 to 2020.

8. Overpayment value established from successful prosecutions where a line of enquiry was relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to 2020.
• Broken down by year
• Broken down by gender
• Broken down by ethnicity

9. Number of people in prison for benefit fraud where a line of investigation was relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to 2020.
• Broken down by year
• Broken down by gender
• Broken down by ethnicity
• Broken down by length of sentence

In relation to all of these questions, if it is not possible to provide data for the period between 2000-2020, any available data would be sufficient.

Ngā mihi nui,
R Gavey

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FYI request #13705 email]

Is [MSD request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Social Development? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------
This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry.

-------------------------------

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe Mr R Gavey,

 

Please find attached a letter advising of the need to extend the time
available to make a decision on your OIA request received 7 September 2020
until 6 November 2020.

 

Nā mātou noa, nā

 

Official and Parliamentary Information team   |  Ministerial and
Executive Services

Ministry of Social Development

Our purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whānau.

 

------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------

Dear R. Gavey

 

On 7 September 2020, you emailed the Ministry of Social Development (the
Ministry) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982, the
following information:

 

Data on the Ministry of Social Development’s benefit fraud investigations
and prosecutions where a line of enquiry was relationship status (or
“marriage type relationship” fraud). I would like the following
information, in relation to all of these questions, if it is not possible
to provide data for the period between 2000-2020, any available data would
be sufficient. More specifically, I would like the following information:

 

1.    Number of people receiving the Sole Parent Support payments, broken
down by year (since it was first introduced to 2020), gender, and
ethnicity.

 

2.    Number of allegations of benefit fraud received by the Ministry of
Social Development broken down by line of enquiry and year, from 2000 to
2020.

 

3.    What are the channels through which the Ministry receives these
allegations?

 

4.    Number of investigations completed by the Ministry of Social
Development broken down by line of enquiry and year, from 2000 to 2020.

 

5.    Number of investigations completed where a line of enquiry was
relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to
2020, broken down by year, gender, and ethnicity.

 

6.    Percentage of debts established out of the number of investigations
completed broken down by line of enquiry and year, from 2000 to 2020.

 

7.    Number of prosecutions where a line of investigation was
relationship status (or marriage type relationship fraud) from 2000 to
2020. Including the total number of attempted prosecutions and the total
number of successful prosecutions broken down by year, gender, and
ethnicity.

 

8.    Overpayment value established from successful prosecutions broken
down by line of enquiry and year from 2000 to 2020.

 

9.    Overpayment value established from successful prosecutions where a
line of enquiry was relationship status (or marriage type relationship
fraud) from 2000 to 2020, broken down by financial year, gender and
ethnicity.

 

10. Number of people in prison for benefit fraud where a line of
investigation was relationship status (or marriage type relationship
fraud) from 2000 to 2020, broken down by year, gender, ethnicity, and
length of sentence.

 

In relation to all of these questions, if it is not possible to provide
data for the period between 2000-2020, any available data would be
sufficient.

 

The Ministry has decided to grant your request in part. However, it will
take more time to prepare the information for release. You will be
provided with responses to each of your questions, which include a set of
ten data tables containing the relevant statistics. Please note that
information from before the 2013/2014 financial year is not able to be
provided as the Ministry changed databases at that time. To provide data
from before 2013/2014 would require multiple searches for information.
This would constitute as substantial collation and research, and therefore
cannot be provided in the response.

 

The Ministry has made the decision to refuse some of the information
requested at question 10 under section 9(2)(a) of the OIA, to protect the
privacy of natural persons.

 

The information will be sent to you by no later than 23 November 2020.

 

If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
[1][MSD request email].

 

If you are not satisfied with this decision, you have the right to seek an
investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a
complaint is available at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and Executive
Services

Ministry of Social Development

 

Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau.

 

------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MSD request email]
2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

Tçnâ koe R Gavey,

 

Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.

 

Nâ mâtou noa, nâ

 

Official and Parliamentary Information team   |  Ministerial and
Executive Services

Ministry of Social Development

 

Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau.

 

 

 

------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------