16 July 2024
M Williams
[FYI request #26967 email]
Tēnā koe M Williams
Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 24 May 2024, requesting correspondence from the
Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) to the Children and Young People’s
Commission and the Social Workers Registration Board outlining strategic
direction and specific priority expectations for the 2024 and 2025 Financial Years.
I have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Please find my decision on your request set out below.
The Ministry is the monitoring agency for the Children and Young People’s
Commission and Social Workers Registration Board. As a monitoring agency, the
Ministry’s role is to assist the responsible Minister to carry out his or her role, as
defined by section 27 of the Crown Entities Act 2004.
The Ministry engages regularly with the Crown entities it is responsible for in its
capacity as a monitoring agency. This engagement may include conversations
relating to the topics raised in your request.
Furthermore, Crown entities may receive correspondence on expectations,
strategic directions and priorities directly from the responsible Minister. In
addition, entities may discuss these topics directly, as part of regular meetings
between the Chair and responsible Minister.
Please find attached the information in scope of your request in
Appendix A.
Some information is withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act to maintain the
constitutional conventions for the time being which protect the confidentiality of
advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials. The release of this
information is likely to prejudice the ability of government to consider advice and
the wider public interest of effective government would not be served.
An attachment included in both letters is refused under section 18(d) of the Act
on the basis that the information requested will soon be publicly available. This
information will be published on 27 August 2024 by the Treasury, on their
website:
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/other-official-
information/information-releases.
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
On 23 April 2024, the Minister of Finance and the Public Service sent an Enduring
Letter of Expectations (ELOE) to Crown entity Boards. This letter outlines
expectations for all Crown entity Boards, including the Commission and SWRB.
The ELOE may be of interest to you and is available online at the following link:
https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/assets/ELOE24-FINAL-signed-Enduring-
Letter-of-Expectation-to-Crown-Entity-Chairs-Apr24-2.pdf. I will be publishing this decision letter, with your personal details deleted, on the
Ministry’s website in due course.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email]. If you are not satisfied with my decision on your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to
make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802
602.
Ngā mihi nui
pp.
Magnus O’Neill
General Manager
Ministerial and Executive Services
