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SCP HOUSE: Questions Of The Day – 1 March
Today's questions of the day concerned: NZ Post’s Privacy – Party Hopping Bill – Mick Brown Report On CYFS – Dumping Skyhawks – Treaty Settlements – Emergency Unemployment Benefit – Security Regulation Changes – Australian/Kiwi Welfare Agreement – School Property Development – Auckland Men’s Prison – Easter Trading – BSE Import Ban
The following are paraphrases of today's questions for oral answer. They are not complete or official, the official record of Parliamentary proceedings is Hansard, which is not finalised till some days after the event.
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Question 1.
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National) to the Minister of Finance Michael Cullen:
Q: Does he stand by his answer to the House on 20 February that he would expect the confidentiality of State-owned enterprise business plans to be honoured?
A: People should not see business plans if that might harm the business.
Q: Is his adviser Peter Harris a director of PSIS, the competition to NZ Post, and has he seen the business plan?
A: Mr Harris has not seen the business plan.
Q: Richard Prebble (ACT) How does he know that it was leaked by a “Tory Rat” when so many people in the government have it?
A: It might have been an ACT rat. As far as I know there are a number of those on the board.
Q: If Mr Harris has not seen the business plan, can the Minister tell us if Mr Harris has discussed aspects of the bank with the Minister?
A: To the best of my recollection Mr Harris has discussed things with me. Yes. But not about commercial secrets contained in the business plan.
Question 2.
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (ACT) to the Prime Minister Helen Clark:
Q: Will she be making the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill a confidence issue; if not, why not?
A: No. Because it isn’t one.
Q: Is the real reason that a measure that was No. 1 in the speech from the throne is no longer a confidence issue, is that it is now considered constitutionally abhorrent by many Government members?
A: It is unusual for general legislative matters to be made matters of confidence. And none have been so far.
Q: Tony Ryall (ACT): Will the bill allow members to be sacked by their parties?
A: No a bill like that is not before the house. The member ought to remember that the government he was part of became a public joke because of its propensity for dealing with the party jumpers.
Q: Rod Donald (Green): Does the bill contravene the Bill of Rights Act?
A: My understanding is that the Ministry of Justice would ordinarily deal with those issues. A question ought to be put to the Minister of Justice on that.
(Rod Donald - leave to table advice from the Solicitor General – granted.)
Question 3.
TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Labour) to the Minister of Social Services and Employment Steve Maharey:
Q: What action will the Government be taking on Judge Mick Brown's recommendations arising out of his review of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services?
A: This morning I released a ministerial review conducted by Judge Mick Brown. There are several recommendations made in the report. The Department is filing an action plan to implement these recommendations.
Q: How much pressure is there on CYFS?
A: The report talks about the cycles of poverty that emerged in the 1990s. Judge Brown pointed out that CYFS alone can not solve these problems completely.
Q: Will he be increasing the budget this year?
A: The BPS shows that CYFS will be a priority item in this budget round. The key additional resources put in to CYFS was $36 million put into baselines for core services. This enabled long term planning to take place. Since then we have added another $4 million to increase services. We are going to work towards outcomes based funding in the future.
Question 4.
Hon MAX BRADFORD (National) to the Minister of Defence Mark Burton:
Q: Does the Prime Minister's statement that reducing the flying hours of the Skyhawks should not be taken as a sign the Government is going to dump the planes altogether mean the Government is going to retain the air combat capability of the Royal New Zealand Air Force; if not, why not?
A: The two issues are unrelated. The reduction in flying hours was a prudent measure designed to reduce pressure on budgets. It was a decision taken in consultation with Ministers.
Q: When will the government decide about the Skyhawks?
A: The government is taking a series of related and interrelated decisions about defence issues. The answer to that question will come relatively soon.
Q: If this is support what would the Air Force look like if it was not being supported?
A: The key decisions are ahead of us.
Q: Will the decision on the future of the Skyhawks be determined on how much they are being used operationally?
A: Lots of things will be considered in the making of our decisions.
Q: Is he not aware that the Air Force is already briefing air crew that the Skyhawks will be dumped?
A: Lots of speculation is out there. Some of it is fuelled by this house.
Question 5.
MAHARA OKEROA (Labour) to the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Margaret Wilson:
Q: What progress has the Government made in the settlement of claims under the Treaty of Waitangi?
A: Progress has been made on the settlement of claims. We have carried out a comprehensive review of policy. Today we have initialled a settlement in Taranaki. This is the first settlement from Taranaki and an important first step. We have also made progress with several other Iwi and I hope to have deeds of settlement with Te Atiawa and Ngati Tama ready shortly. I do not see this process as being a his or hers process. Of course many of these claims have been progressed under National and where that is so I will happily acknowledge that. I see this as a bi-partisan process. We have commenced negotiations with Muri Whenua and with nine other groups.
Q: Richard Prebble (ACT): Are their 700 claims before the Waitangi Tribunal? And will it take till 2702 to settle all these claims at the present rate?
A: I thank the member for being so positive. Many of the claims to the Tribunal do not relate to land and will not be dealt with in the settlement process.
Question 6.
SIMON POWER (National) to the Minister of Social Services and Employment Steve Maharey:
Q: What steps is he taking to reinstate the emergency unemployment benefit for students, as stated in his 1998 press release entitled "Labour would restore EUB to students"?
A: The restoration was not in Labour’s pre-election policy. (Leave sought to table policy – granted.)
Q: What about the “Don’t go hungry next summer campaign” of the Alliance?
A: There are two parties in the government remember.
Q: Can he confirm that the issue of the EUB has been raised with government by the Alliance Party?
A: Yes.
(Simon Power – leave to table documents – granted.)
Question 7.
DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour) to the Minister of Commerce Paul Swain:
Q: What impact would the Government's proposed technical amendments to the Securities Regulations have on business?
A: These regulations set out what must be disclosed when capital is being sought. We are simplifying these documents to make it easier and cheaper for businesses to raise capital. These are part of a large range of measures designed to reduce compliance costs for businesses.
Q: What is the time frame for the review?
A: Stage one will produce drafts in May for August implementation. Stage two will produce results in early 2003.
Q: What will the effect be of these on the new capital market?
A: The purpose is to make it easier to raise capital.
Question 8.
BOB SIMCOCK (National) to the Minister of Social Services and Employment Steve Maharey:
Q: Did he receive a Ministry of Social Policy report last year which warned the Government that some unemployed or sick New Zealanders who "manage to struggle through and stay on in Australia will tend to drift down into an underclass status"; if so, does he believe such a situation would be acceptable?
A: Yes. But I did not accept the advice as I did not think the scenario was credible.
Q: Did he receive advice about negative impacts on productivity? And what did he do with it?
A: The scenarios accompanying the advice were not convincing. There are lots of people not affected by this.
Q: Muriel Newman (ACT): Who will the $100 million in savings come from? Widows and DPB beneficiaries, and not from those on the dole as claimed by the government?
A: No. I can not confirm that.
Question 9.
DAVID BENSON-POPE (Labour) to the Minister of Education Trevor Mallard:
Q: What reports has he received on the five-year property programme introduced to schools last year?
A: The programme follows Government decisions to introduce more fairness to capital spending by schools. Feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive. We have acted to give certainty to all schools. Schools have been told this week exactly when they will come on to the property programme. Schools will also get their indicative budgets.
Q: Will bulk funding be reinstated? If not why not?
A: This is not bulk-funding. It is a joint planning initiative. The money is not held by the school it is held by the Ministry.
Q: If he trusts schools to manage property, why doesn’t he trust schools to manage salaries?
A: These arrangements are agreements between the Ministry and Schools. Schools are not given the funds.
Question 10.
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National) to the Minister of Corrections Matt Robson:
Q: Does he stand by the statement in his letter of 13 February 2001 that the proposed Auckland Regional Men's Prison would not proceed on either of the identified sites if there was "any likelihood of Wahi Tapu existing on either building platform"?
A: Yes I do. We are currently having discussions with local Hapu about this.
Q: In light of evidence that the site has been pronounced Wahi Tapu in perpetuity, will he keep his word?
A: In this question there is still a long way to go before a final decision is taken. Consultation with the community has been thorough so far. We have had an information day and public meetings. There has also been a formal submission process.
Q: When will the project be completed?
A: Hopefully if the site is approved then progress will be made towards completion.
Q: Nandor Tanczos (Green): Does he think, as his department in Ngawha seems to, that the department is better qualified to decide whether the land is Wahi Tapu than the local hapu?
A: No. This matter of determining the Wahi Tapu status is an extensive process involving many people. There are also some Maori in the department.
Question 11.
PETER BROWN (NZ First) to the Minister of Labour Margaret Wilson:
Q: Is she considering proposing amending legislation to remove restrictions on retail trading during Easter Sundays in places such as Rotorua, Tauranga and Mt Maunganui; if so, will it be introduced before this coming Easter?
A: Yes I cam considering options on this. 1) a review of the provisions, or, 2) a mechanism to grant exemptions through regulations. These options are not yet government policy.
Q: Is this being blocked by Alliance MP Laila Harre?
A: It is not possible to pass legislation before Easter. We would need urgency. That said I have written to the chair of the committee because there is a bill from Mr Rodney Hide before the committee that could possibly be worked on.
Q: Is the Alliance blocking this bill?
A: I am aware that the Alliance is opposed to the comprehensivity of provisions in the bill presently before the committee.
Q: Laila Harre (Alliance): Did I advise that we were willing to enable limited changes to shop trading hours, but that we are opposed to open slather?
A: Yes you did.
Question 12.
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) to the Minister of Health Annette King:
Q: As the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations now considers more than 100 countries which imported potentially contaminated meat and bone meal from Europe in the eighties to be at risk from BSE, is the Government planning to extend its ban on food containing beef products to other at-risk countries from which we import food; if not, why not?
A: (Tariana Turia on behalf): Yes we are planning to extend the food ban.
Q: Sue Kedgley (Green): Why are we allowing Indonesian products like these on our shelves when they might be contaminated?
A: I am unable to answer that question. The Minister I am sure will welcome the question if it is put in writing. Since 1996 there has been a ban on all beef products from the UK. Earlier this year we banned European beef products, and those from a number of other countries.
Q: What is being done to check on the health of cattle in FAO countries?
A: The member will need to put that to the Minister directly.
Q: Why does NZ import semen from BSE infected countries?
A: To my knowledge semen doesn’t carry BSE.
SCOOP COVERAGE
ENDS
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Publisher
Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.
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