Statement of Intent 2006 - Preface
On 6 March 2006, the Government announced that the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development will merge on 1 July 2006. At the time of this announcement, the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Development were well advanced with the development of their 2006/2007 statements of intent.
Given that the merger takes effect from 1 July 2006, which is also the start of the period for 2006/2007 statements of intent, it is not sensible to produce two separate statements. However, as the two departments will still exist as separate departments on Budget day, which is the day statements of intent are required to be presented to the House, there is a legal requirement under the Public Finance Act 1989 that two separate statements of intent be presented.
The two departments, with the agreement of the Treasury, Audit New Zealand, the Office of the Auditor General, the State Services Commission and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, sought and obtained agreement from the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Social Development and Employment and the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) for the required information on the Ministry of Social Development and the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, as they both currently are, to be included in the Ministry of Social Development’s 2006/2007 Statement of Intent.
Accordingly, this Statement of Intent includes:
- forewords by both the Minister for Social Development and Employment, as responsible Minister for the Ministry of Social Development and the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF), as responsible Minister for the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
- a common overview and introductory section
- a separate Ministry of Social Development three year outlook section
- a separate Department of Child, Youth and Family Services three year outlook section
- a consolidated set of forecast financial statements
- forecast output performance statements for Votes Child, Youth and Family Services; Senior Citizens; Social Development; Veterans’ Affairs – Social Development; and Youth Development.
In order to meet the legal requirement under the Public Finance Act 1989, a pro forma Statement of Intent has been prepared for the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services to be presented to the House on Budget day. This statement indicates that the required information on the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services has been included in the Ministry of Social Development’s 2006/2007 Statement of Intent.
