5 JULY

NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

(2) Clause 1 of the direction is amended by omitting from
the definition of the term subsidised the words “met by a
Purchaser” and substituting the words “funded under the
New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000”.

4. Clause 4 amended—Clause 4 of the direction is
   amended by inserting, after paragraph (a), the following
   paragraph:

“(aa) the extent (if any) to which the person’s life or
health would be put at risk, or the person’s
disability aggravated, if the person could not
receive the goods or services because the expense
was not wholly or partly met from a disability
allowance; and”

5. Clause 5 amended—Clause 5 of the direction is
   amended by omitting from paragraph (b) the words “Health
   Funding Authority, Health Benefits Limited, or other
   appropriate agency” and substituting the words “appropriate
   District Health Board or other agency under the
   New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000”.

6. New clause 5A inserted—The direction is amended by
   inserting, after clause 5, the following clause:

“5A When determining whether, and to what extent, the
cost of medical alarm services is an additional
expense of a kind required by section 69C (2A) (a)
of the Act, you must have regard to the matters in
clause 4 and the following additional matters—
(a) whether the services are supplied by an
approved alarm company; and
(b) if not, whether the nature of the services is the
supply of medical alarm services or security
alarm services.”

7. Clause 7 amended—Clause 7 of the direction is
   amended by omitting the word “an” and substituting the
   word “a”.

8. New heading and clauses added—The direction is
   amended by adding the following heading and clauses:

“Approval of alarm companies
8 You are to establish, as soon as practicable after the
commencement of this clause, processes for—
(a) approving, on application, suppliers of medical
alarm services for the purposes of this direction:
(b) reviewing approvals under paragraph (a):
(c) revoking approvals under that paragraph.
9 The processes referred to in clause 8 must be based
on—
(a) the integrity of the supplier as a supplier of
medical alarm services rather than security alarm
services; and
(b) the
cost
effectiveness,
efficiency,
and
responsiveness of the medical alarm services
offered by the supplier; and
(c) any other matters you consider relevant.”

———

Explanatory Note:
This note is not part of the Amendment, but is intended to
explain its general effect.

This Amendment to the Ministerial direction on disability
allowance relates to medical alarms. The Amendment
requires the Department of Work and Income to establish
processes for the approval of suppliers of medical alarm
services, and sets criteria for the assessment of whether, and
to what extent, the cost of such services is an additional cost
for the purposes of eligibility for disability allowance.

Other amendments made to the direction correct a drafting
error or are consequential on changes in the health sector.

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1631

Direction in Relation to Emergency Benefit and
Benefits on Ground of Hardship Amendment 2001

To: The Chief Executive of the Department of Work and
Income.

Pursuant to section 5 of the Social Security Act 1964, the
Minister of Social Services and Employment makes
the following Amendment to the Direction in relation
to Emergency Benefit and Community Wage given on
6 October 1998.

Dated at Wellington this 27th day of June 2001.

STEVE MAHAREY, Minister of Social Services and
Employment.

———

Amendment

1. Title—(1) This Amendment is the Direction In Relation
   To Emergency Benefit and Benefits on Ground of Hardship
   Amendment 2001.
   (2) In this Amendment, the Direction In Relation To
   Emergency Benefit and Community Wage is called “the
   direction”.

2. Commencement—This Amendment comes into effect
   on 1 July 2001.

3. Amendments consequential on Part 3 of the
   Social Security Amendment Act 2001 coming into force
   on 1 July 2001—The direction is amended in the manner
   set out in the Schedule.

———

Schedule

Clause 3
Consequential Amendments to the Direction

Title
Omit the words “community wage” and substitute the words
“benefits on ground of hardship”.

Heading
Omit the words “Community Wage” and substitute the word
“Benefits”.

First paragraph
Omit from subparagraph (b) the words “a community wage”
and substitute the words “an unemployment benefit”;
Insert in subparagraph (b), after the word “Act” where it
appears for the second time, the words “or a sickness benefit
under section 54 of the Act pursuant to section 54A of the
Act”;
Omit the words “a community wage” and substitute the
words “an unemployment benefit or a sickness benefit”.

Second paragraph
Insert, after the expression “section 90”, the words “or
section 54A”.

Clause 5
Omit from the heading and from paragraph (b) the word
“social”.
Omit “an emergency benefit” and substitute “a sickness
benefit under section 54A”.

Clause 6
Omit the words “an emergency benefit to the applicant.” and
substitute the words “one of the following benefits to the
applicant:”.

Add the following paragraphs:

“(d) in the case of an applicant who is pregnant, a
sickness benefit under section 54A;
“(e) in the case of an applicant who is a sole parent, an
emergency benefit.”