On behalf of Hon Anne Tolley, thank you for your email which has been
received by this office.  Your correspondence has been noted and will be
recorded. 

 

Your email will be forwarded to the Minister for consideration, and a
response will be sent as soon as possible.  However, if your email is
bringing some information to the attention of the Minister, please regard
this as a final response to your email.

 

Kind regards

The Office of Hon Anne Tolley

 

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Dear Lee,

We have received your correspondence from Minister Tolley's office to look into. Unfortunately, your email below does not provide details that identifies who your daughter is. Therefore, before I can proceed looking into the matters raised below, can you please reply to this email with your daughter's details:

1) Full name and date of birth
2) Current address details and
3) Work and Income client number.

Kind regards
Lorraine Roberts
Work and Income

________________________________________
From: Lee M. [OIA #2493 email]
Sent: Thursday, 12 February 2015 10:24:53 a.m. (UTC+12:00) Auckland, Wellington
To: A Tolley (MIN)
Subject: Official Information Act request - Communication information

Dear Minister for Social Development,

My daughter called the Ministry of Social Development's General Enquiries 0800 number a few minutes ago. She asked to be given her Case Manager's telephone number so that she could call him about an appointment that he had made for her to come and in meet with him tomorrow at 9.30 a.m. She was refused this information. She then asked to be given her Case Manager's e-mail address so that she could write to him for the abovementioned reason. Again she was refused this information. She then asked for Mr Brendan Boyle's telephone number - he being the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development - and was once again refused this information.

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information and/or Privacy Acts (the latter applies as I am my daughter's "authorised agent" on record with the Ministry of Social Development/WINZ):

1. Why are clients refused basic communication information such as a Case Manager's telephone number when there is a need for a client to make contact with their Case Manager in this way?

2. Why are clients refused basic communication information such as a Case Manager's e-mail address when there is a need for a client to make contact with their Case Manager in this way?

3. In the 21st century when all kinds of modern ICT's are available to us with which we are able to, and do, use everyday to communicate with one another, why is New Zealand's government and the Ministry of Social Development (in particular) 'dragging its heels' in terms of not encouraging and helping its clients to communicate with employees of the Ministry of Social Development using the most basic of communication tools such as telephones and computers?

4. Why are clients like my daughter refused Mr Boyle's telephone number when they are left frustrated and annoyed after their very reasonable requests for basic information have been refused, and without reason/s being given for the refusals, and, when they clearly have good cause and reason to complain to him or someone else in his office about the problems they are having in simply trying to communicate with their Case Manager.

Yours faithfully,

Lee M.

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show quoted sections

Please find attached a response to your email from Hon Anne Tolley.

 

Regards,

Isobelle Thomson| Ministerial  Secretary | Office of the Hon Anne Tolley
|Minister for Social Development

 

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

The information contained in this email is intended for the named
recipient only. It may contain privileged material or information in
confidence and if you are not the intended recipient you must not copy,
distribute or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this
email in error, please notify me immediately by telephone or return email.

 

 

 

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