QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Thursday, 15 February 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Minister for Industry and Regional Development: Does he stand by the statement of his office on 24 April 2000 that the People's Bank proposal would not proceed unless it was financially viable?

2. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Why is the rate of unemployment the lowest it has been in 12 years?

3. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister of Labour: Following her answer to the House yesterday that "further legal action is actively being considered" in relation to the planned veterinarians' strike, what steps, if any, has she taken to pursue this "further legal action"?

4. PETER BROWN to the Minister of Labour: In the light of a Government Minister having now publicly expressed sympathy for the waterside workforce at various South Island ports resisting moves to casualise their industry, will she, if mediation fails to resolve the problem, call an industry conference to review port operations and charging regimes with the intention of establishing firm ground rules?

5. TAITO PHILLIP FIELD to the Minister of Education: What progress has been made in providing support to teachers of children for whom English is a second language?

6. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: In light of her Associate Minister's inability to answer the question yesterday, can she now confirm whether she or any of her staff were responsible for suggesting to television news that they interview Mr Steve Mills as a "Government success story" regarding waiting lists and did she or any of her staff inform television news that Mr Steve Mills appeared in Labour's election campaign opening?

7. JANET MACKEY to the Minister of Police: What reports has he received concerning latest trends in reported burglary statistics?

8. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Education: With 65,536 possible optional combinations of grades for every subject, how can parents and students be convinced that the National Certificate of Educational Achievement is anything more than a dumbing down of educational standards?

9. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister of Transport: Does the Government agree that maintaining and expanding a modern efficient rail system is essential both to achieving "economic transformation" and meeting climate change policy goals?

10. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE to the Minister of Labour: Can she assure the House that every legal measure available is being taken to ensure peaceful resolution of the stevedoring workers' industrial dispute over loading of logs in South Island ports; if not, why not?

11. Hon MARIE HASLER to the Minister of Immigration: What actions did Immigration Service officials take which led her to tell the House in October 2000 that they had "let this House and this country down ... my own officials have not even told me the truth"?

12. CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Immigration: What decisions have been taken with respect to skilled migration in response to last year's Business/Government forum?

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>