Tēnā koe Ms Vanessa Cole

Thank you for your email received 7 October 2016, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National office to respond. You may expect a response to be sent to you as soon as possible.
 
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

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Dear Ms Cole

 

On 7 October 2016, you contacted the Ministry requesting, under the
Official Information Act 1982, information regarding job recruitment
companies which are used by Work and Income to place Jobseekers in
employment:

 

1. A full list of the names of all the recruitment companies that Work and
Income are currently using.

 

2. A confirmation on whether the Government are subsidising these
recruitment companies? And if so:

(a) A breakdown of the subsidy

(b) The total amount of money that has been paid to these companies each
year since the subsidies began.

 

3. The number of Jobseekers who have signed contracts with these
recruitment companies.

 

4. Of those who have signed these contracts, the number of people who have
been sanctioned for not fulfilling their work obligations.

 

5. The number of Jobseekers that have been placed into employment through
these recruitment companies. And of those placed in employment:

(a) How many have returned to Jobseekers?

(b) How many were given a 13 week stand down after returning to
Jobseekers?

 

6. Information on whether these recruitment company contracts are screened
by MSD staff prior to being signed by Jobseekers? If so:

(a) What is the process for screening these contracts?

(b) Who is authorised to screen these contracts?

 

I am writing to seek clarification of your request. The Ministry purchases
a range of employment focussed and work preparation services.  These
services cover a range of non-government organisations, private training
establishments, employers and independent individuals.  There may be cases
where the Ministry contracts with a recruitment agency for the purpose of
delivering an employment service.  Are you referring to all contracted
services purchased or those services that are specifically related to
traditional recruitment agencies where Work and Income clients may go to
seek employment?

 

In addition could you please indicate the timeframe you are interested in
for questions 3, 4 and 5.

 

If you wish to discuss this further could you please email
[1][MSD request email] with a contact phone number.

 

Kind regards,

 

Ministerial & Executive Services Advisor

Official & Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Social Development | Te
Manatu Whakahiato Ora

56 the Terrace| PO Box 1556 |

Wellington | New Zealand

 

------------------------------- 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]

Ms Vanessa Cole

[1][FYI request #4715 email]

 

 

 

Dear Ms Cole

On 7 October 2016 you emailed the Ministry requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, information regarding the job recruitment companies
which are used by Work and Income to place job seekers into employment. On
12 October 2016, the Ministry contacted you to clarify whether you were
requesting information about all contracted employment focussed and work
preparation services purchased or those services that are specifically
related to traditional recruitment agencies where Work and Income clients
may go to, to seek employment.

 

As you were advised, the Ministry purchases a range of employment focussed
and work preparation services.  These services cover a range of
non-governmental organisations, private training establishments, employers
and independent individuals. On 13 October 2016, you advised that you were
interested only in recruitment agencies that the Ministry contracts for
the purpose of delivering an employment service.

 

The Ministry has decided to grant your request in part, namely information
which relates to:

 

·         A full list of the names of all the recruitment companies that
Work and Income are currently using.

·         Information on whether these recruitment company contracts are
screened by MSD staff prior to being signed by Jobseekers?

·         Confirmation on whether the Government are subsidising these
recruitment companies

 

However, it will take some time to prepare this information for release.
The information will be sent to you by 15 November 2016. The Ministry has
also decided to refuse your request for information which relates to:

 

·         a breakdown of the subsidy and the total amount of money that
has been paid to these companies each year since the subsidies began.

 

As the Ministry does not provide subsidies to recruitment agencies this
part of your request has been refused under section 18(e) of the Official
Information Act as this information does not exist. You will however, be
provided with the recruitment agencies the Ministry has purchased
contracts with for the previous three years and the value of these
contracts.

 

·         The number of Jobseekers who have signed contracts with these
recruitment companies.

·         Of those who have signed these contracts, the number of people
who have been sanctioned for not fulfilling their work obligations.

·         The number of Jobseekers that have been placed into employment
through these recruitment companies. And of those placed in employment:

(a) How many have returned to Jobseekers?

(b) How many were given a 13 week stand down after returning to
Jobseekers?

 

In order to provide you with this information, Ministry staff would have
to manually review hundreds of client files and manually cross reference
information. As such this part of your request has been refused under
section 18(f) of the Official Information Act. The greater public interest
is in the effective and efficient administration of the public service.

 

I have considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your
request given extra time, or the ability to charge for the information
requested.  I have concluded that, in either case, the Ministry’s ability
to undertake its work would still be prejudiced.

Additionally, if the Ministry were to collate the information you have
requested, providing this information could have the potential to identify
individual clients. The Ministry has an obligation to protect the privacy
of clients and the information would be withheld under section 9(2)(a) of
the Act. The need to protect the privacy of these individuals would
outweigh any public interest in this information.

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

 

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
[3]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 help themselves to be safe, strong and
independent
Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū
motuhake

 

 

------------------------------- 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:[FYI request #4715 email]
2. mailto:[MSD request email]
3. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

Tēnā koe Vanessa Cole

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

show quoted sections