Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 9 October 2003

Questions to Ministers

1. RICHARD WORTH to the Associate Minister of Justice: Does she stand by her statement that the Government was acting in the "wider interests" regarding the Supreme Court Bill; if so, what are those wider interests?

2. SUE BRADFORD to the Minister of Health: Does she support the closure of the inpatient service of the Auckland region's only residential Maori mental health unit, Te Whanau o Manawanui; if so, why?

3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Does she still stand by her comments "I sometimes wonder whether I'm a victim of my own success as a popular and competent Prime Minister."?

4. STEVE CHADWICK to the Associate Minister of Health: Has he received any reports on smoke-free contracts provided by non-governmental organisations?

5. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister for Trade Negotiations: When does he expect New Zealand will get a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States, in light of comments contained in a speech that was to be given by American Ambassador, Charles Swindells, which said, "the United States Government is not prepared to schedule bilaterial trade negotiations at this time."?

6. CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What initiatives is the Government taking to promote employment in industry?

7. DEBORAH CODDINGTON to the Minister of Education: Further to his answer in the House yesterday that "children have the right to attend their neighbourhood school," will he step in and protect this right for those children whose neighbourhood schools are under threat of closure?

8. LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: What threat does HIV-AIDS pose in the Pacific region and what steps are being taken to respond to that threat?

9. RON MARK to the Minister of Corrections: What was his reason for not supporting an inquiry into the operation of the emergency response unit formerly based at Paparua Prison in Christchurch?

10. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister for the Environment: Does she stand by her statement in the House yesterday, in relation to the proposed Waikato open cast coal mine, that "If Forest and Bird had a local group, I would have expected it to be consulted", in light of the fact that the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society has branches in Waikato, Franklin and Thames-Coromandel?

11. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Associate Minister of Health: How many members of Parliament were lobbied by anti-smoking groups, funded by the Ministry of Health, to "create a climate of support for amendments to the Smoke-free Environments Act", and were all of those members of Parliament advised that the Ministry of Health had paid those groups to undertake that activity?

12. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Justice: Has his Ministry provided assistance to any member of Parliament who is not part of the executive to prepare a member's bill, for example, one that seeks to decriminalise cannabis?

ENDS

© Scoop Media