who have a disability or mobility impairment increases and recommended that accessible and universal design principles be incorporated into ‘ordinary’ mainstream housing. Despite the recommendations being published more than eight years ago, media stories suggest finding suitable housing is an ongoing issue for disabled people across the country.75 SOCIAL SECURITY 76. The Government’s Support for Children in Hardship Bill introduced a $25 per week increase to the parent payment and youth parent payment social security benefit. This is welcome and is the first increase in 43 years. However, the Bill also introduced more onerous work testing requirements for parents which further toughen the strict sanctions regime introduced by the 2012 reforms to social security legislation.76 77. Despite the Committee’s 2012 recommendation for an independent evaluation of the gendered impact of welfare reforms, there is little publicly available information on the use and impact of sanctions or on the overall impact of welfare changes on women. Under s70A of the Social Securities Act 1964 benefit sanctions may also be applied to sole parents who refuse to name the other parent. Recent figures obtained by the media indicate that one in five of those in receipt of the single parent benefit have been sanctioned in this way.77 Further media enquiries have raised issues around a lack of evidence of the effectiveness of such sanctions.78 75 See for example: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/67925111/Disabled-dumped-in-rest-homes http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/64958628/Special-needs-family-face-life-in-tent http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/65347648/Lack-of-suitable-housing-for-people-withdisabilities http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/65485571/long-wait-for-modifications-forces-boy-to-shower-at-stadium http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8256621/Disabled-seek-alternative-to-rest-home-life http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/auckland-city-harbour-news/8537743/Home-access-appeal/ http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/8413511/Auckland-needs-mobility-friendlyhousing 76 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. 77 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/94921227/benefit-sanctions-see-17700-children-of-solo-parents-lose-upto-28-a-child-a-week 78 http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/09/benefit-sanctions-actually-linked-to-long-termwelfare-dependency.html 16