QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER
Thursday, 11 May 2000

Questions to Ministers

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1. Willie Jackson to the Associate Minister of Commerce: What progress has been made in solving problems surrounding security of payment issues in the construction industry?

2. Hon. Max Bradford to the Minister of Labour: Having advised Alliance, New Zealand First and Green Party members of Parliament, in relation to contractors, that "No-one will be required to change their employment status unless they want to.", will she support changes to clauses 6 and 154 of the Employment Relations Bill; if not, why not?

3. Georgina Beyer to the Minister of Agriculture: Why is the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry planning to import exotic infectious organisms into New Zealand?

4. Dr Muriel Newman to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What influence did the advice he received from the Solicitor-General and the State Services Commission Chief Legal Advisor, within days of becoming Minister responsible for the Department of Work and Income, have on his response to the Hunn report on that department, and therefore on the Chief Executive's management?

5. Rod Donald to the Minister responsible for Timberlands West Coast Ltd: Does he agree with the reported statement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's indigenous forestry adviser Alan Tinnelly in this week's Independent that beech is "better for furniture making than rimu"; if so, why should the Government continue rimu logging on public land for the sake of the furniture industry, when there is already 45,000 cubic metres of beech available from sustainably managed private forest?

6. Rt Hon. Wyatt Creech to the Minister of Health: Has she received any reports which suggest that the potential for certain of the structural changes to materially reduce transparency and accountability will also have significant downside risks in terms of motivation and resultant performance; if so, what was the Government's response?

7. Nanaia Mahuta to the Minister of Education: What reports has he received regarding funding for education initiatives in the 2000/2001 financial year?

8. Dr Lynda Scott to the Minister of Health: Why is she floating the idea of a new tax dedicated to fund healthcare, as described in the Marlborough Express on 10 May 2000?

9. Rt Hon. Winston Peters to the Minister for State-Owned Enterprises: Is it the Government's intention to privatise Airways Corporation, as alluded to on page 17 of the 1998/99 Airways Corporation annual report?

10. Hon. Maurice Williamson to the Minister for the Environment: Has she received any media training for her Environment portfolio this week?

11. Tim Barnett to the Minister of Labour: Is she concerned about the adequacy of occupational safety standards within the railways?

12. Hon. Murray McCully to the Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Auckland Issues: When she stated, in response to oral question No. 11 yesterday, that any review of Infrastructure Auckland, "will take time", did she mean that she believes it will not occur in the term of this Parliament?

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