 Inclusion of housing as a lead priority in the National Infrastructure Plan;  Extention of the current Social Housing Fund beyond 2015;  Address the serious undersupply of affordable housing by increasing the number of social houses by a minimum of 2000 units per year until 2020;  Refocus and redesign of central government funded housing subsidies (i.e. the Accommodation Supplement and Income-Related Rents) as part of a wider package of income and housing support. Social security 75. The Government’s Support for Children in Hardship Bill has introduced a $25 per week increase to parent payment and youth parent payment social security benefit. While welcome, the Bill also introduces more onerous work testing requirements for parents which further toughen the strict sanctions regime introduced by the 2012 reforms to social security legislation.37 76. The impact of sanctions on children is yet to be measured as the Ministry of Social Development does not report on the requisite data, however recent figures obtained by the media indicate that 43,000 children were affected by cuts to household income brought about by benefit sanctions in the period between July 2013 and July 2015.38 A 2014 report by the Child Poverty Action Group indicated that very few sanctions are invoked as a result of failure of beneficiary parents to meet their ‘social obligations’ under the Social Security Act and instead are primarily used in response to non-attendance for failing to meet a work plan obligation or attend a scheduled appointment.39 77. The Social Security Act 1964 which governs the provision of social security benefits does not contain any provision that requires Government officials to consider the welfare and best interests of any affected child as part of any decision-making process under the Act, including sanctions. The EAG accordingly recommended that the Act be amended to include such a provision that requires decision-makers to give primary consideration to the welfare and best interests of the child in any decision-making process made under the Act. The Government is yet to respond to this recommendation. 37 Section 117, Social Security Act 1964 – the sanctions impose, among other things, a 50% reduction in the benefit payment until re-compliance for the first instance of non-compliance with an obligation, suspension of the benefit for a second instance of non-compliance, and cancellation of the benefit for the third instance 38 http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/279597/thousands-of-children-hit-by-benefit-sanctions 39 CPAG, Benefit sanctions and children; a greater need for clarity, September 2014, http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Publications/140930%20CPAG%20Benefit%20Sanctions%20Report%20III.pdf, p5 20