❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the funding cuts and operational details of the No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) in Western Australia, revealing funding allocations, loan values, and the impact of a Ministerial Trust Fund cessation.
AnsweredQoN 3381Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) in Western Australia, and I ask: (a) when and why was the decision made to cut the $1.5 million loan capital for (NILS) in Western Australia; (b) what is the value of current operational funding issued to each organisation administering (NILS) in Western Australia and in which geographical areas does each organisation provide loan services; (c) was the allocation of current operational funding tied to performance based loans targets and, if not, why not; (d) for each organisation receiving operational funding, what is the value of loans offered and what items are covered by the loans; (e) in the 2014-15 financial year, how many loans were administered by each organisation receiving operational funding and what was the value of the loans underwritten; and (f) by region, how many loans have been made available to Western Australians by way of the $1.5 million loan capital State funding for each of the following years: (i) 2014-2015; (ii) 2013-2014; (iii) 2012-2013; and (iv) 2011-2012?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
13 October 2015
Responded by
Minister for Child Protection
Response time
35 days
(a) The Ministerial Trust Fund ceased on 30 June 2014. This is consistent with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 2006 (FMA 2006).
(b) Two organisations are currently administering NILS in Western Australia and these include:
ORGANISATION
ANNUAL FUNDING LEVEL
WA No Interest Network Inc (WA NILS)
$250,000
Mercy Community Services Incorporated NILS (MercyCare NILS)
$250,000
The services are not limited to specific geographical areas.
(c) Yes.
(d) The Department provides a funding allocation to the two organisations to support the operational expenditure associated with the delivery of the Good Shepherd Microfinance (GSM) No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) in Western Australia.
A GSM NILS loan can start from $300 and go up to $1200 for essential goods and services. These may include:
· household items such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, stoves, clothes dryers and some furniture;
· some medical and dental services;
· educational essentials such as computers and text books; and
· other items as requested.
Service providers negotiate the range of items offered with GSM.
(e) According to the six monthly progress reports from WA NILS and MercyCare NILS, the number and value of loans issued in 2014/15 were:
WA NILS
MercyCare NILS
Number of loans issued
841
104
Total value of loans
$885,625
$101,135
It should be noted that MercyCare NILS was required to implement a new and expanded service delivery model, while WA NILS was an existing established service provider of GSM NILS.
(f) Data was not collected by regional area. According to the six monthly progress reports from WA NILS, the number of loans made available to Western Australians via the Ministerial Trust Fund for the financial years requested are below:
(i)
2014-15
0
(ii)
2013-14
392
(iii)
2012-13
542
(iv)
2011-12
772
It should be noted that the Ministerial Trust Fund ceased on 30 June 2014 and therefore no loans were provided in 2014-15.
(b) Two organisations are currently administering NILS in Western Australia and these include:
ORGANISATION
ANNUAL FUNDING LEVEL
WA No Interest Network Inc (WA NILS)
$250,000
Mercy Community Services Incorporated NILS (MercyCare NILS)
$250,000
The services are not limited to specific geographical areas.
(c) Yes.
(d) The Department provides a funding allocation to the two organisations to support the operational expenditure associated with the delivery of the Good Shepherd Microfinance (GSM) No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) in Western Australia.
A GSM NILS loan can start from $300 and go up to $1200 for essential goods and services. These may include:
· household items such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, stoves, clothes dryers and some furniture;
· some medical and dental services;
· educational essentials such as computers and text books; and
· other items as requested.
Service providers negotiate the range of items offered with GSM.
(e) According to the six monthly progress reports from WA NILS and MercyCare NILS, the number and value of loans issued in 2014/15 were:
WA NILS
MercyCare NILS
Number of loans issued
841
104
Total value of loans
$885,625
$101,135
It should be noted that MercyCare NILS was required to implement a new and expanded service delivery model, while WA NILS was an existing established service provider of GSM NILS.
(f) Data was not collected by regional area. According to the six monthly progress reports from WA NILS, the number of loans made available to Western Australians via the Ministerial Trust Fund for the financial years requested are below:
(i)
2014-15
0
(ii)
2013-14
392
(iii)
2012-13
542
(iv)
2011-12
772
It should be noted that the Ministerial Trust Fund ceased on 30 June 2014 and therefore no loans were provided in 2014-15.
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