NO COMPULSORY DRUG TESTING FOR BENEFICIARIES

National leader Bill English said today he would not support compulsory
drug testing of beneficiaries but believed drug use was a problem for those
on welfare.

As the party looks at welfare reform, National MP Maurice Williamson, the
party's lowest-ranked MP, has suggested beneficiaries should be tested for
drugs.

Mr Williamson said it was legal to test employees and sportspeople for
drugs "but because you're sitting there doing nothing and smoking wacky
baccy on the unemployment (benefit) we can't".

"So the suggestion simply was, 'why don't we make that available? I'm not
talking about testing everybody all the time but every now and then,
someone whose proving to be a serious problem case."

Mr English told National Radio today he did not support compulsory drug
testing for beneficiaries but there was "no doubt" that drugs were part of
the "cocktail of disadvantage and problems" that beneficiaries,
particularly young people, had.

He recently visited a work training scheme and had been told addiction was
a problem for all the under-20-year-olds on that scheme.

Mr English said he had no problem with Mr Williamson speaking out, saying
many National MPs would be raising ideas as the party debated core issues
such as welfare.

"Where we're heading with welfare is to explore a whole range of ideas
because from National's point of view the status quo is simply unacceptable."

There were 350,000 beneficiaries in New Zealand, which was "far too many".
Living on welfare was a "subsistence" existence where there was not much
hope or choices.