Paula Bennett

The actions of some Dunedin second-hand dealers could come under scrutiny from the police after a sting by Work and Income agents uncovered a possible beneficiary scam.

The Government will take a harder line on social services spending and communities will be trusted to provide information on what is working and what isn't under a new funding scheme, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has called for an apology from TV3 over a story on its evening news programme last night querying whether she had offered money to a beneficiary who laid a privacy complaint against her.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has denied she offered money to a beneficiary who laid a privacy complaint against her.

Welfare reforms announced by the Government today are expected to ramp up the pressure on beneficiaries to return to the workforce.