22 Dec 2008

WINZ unhappy with emergency grant

6:27 am on 22 December 2008

Work & Income New Zealand is investigating after a client was given an emergency grant to get her car out of a pound.

WINZ says the client was not legally entitled to drive at the time.

Deputy chief executive Patricia Reade says returning cars to people who don't have the right to drive is totally unacceptable.

She says Work and Income does provide repayable loans to cover towing and impoundment fees - but only if a client needs a car because of illness, disability or employment requirements, and only after all other options have been exhausted.