QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Wednesday, 14 March 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by answers to parliamentary questions in relation to the appointment of Dr Joel Lexchin as an independent reviewer of Pharmac's policies that she "played no part in this decision" and that no officials of her department were involved in the appointment?

2. GRANT GILLON to the Minister of Consumer Affairs: Has he received any reports about consumer satisfaction with the banking industry?

3. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement that her Government would "set new standards - both in terms of behaviour and performance"?

4. Dr MURIEL NEWMAN to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Is the Department of Work and Income meeting or exceeding most of the performance targets he has set in the department's purchase agreement; if so, is he prepared to express confidence in the department's Chief Executive?

5. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to the Minister of Health: Does she stand by her answer to written question No 14521 in August 2000 that "Dr Joel Lexchin was the nominee of the Health Funding Authority"?

6. ANN HARTLEY to the Minister of Education: Does the Government have a strategy for improving the capacity of schools to deliver quality education; if so, what is it?

7. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of State Services: When were State Services Commission officials informed of Christine Rankin's intention to have her lawyers write to Sue Bradford regarding Ms Bradford's comments in the media on 11 February 2001, and when did those officials inform him?

8. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Associate Minister of Energy: What process will be used to assess the environmental impacts of the proposal by Neptune Resources to prospect for minerals over 100,000 sq km of sea floor in New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, where the Resource Management Act 1991 does not apply?

9. PHIL HEATLEY to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his spokesperson's assurance to Northland people that he is "well aware of their concerns" in relation to the Auckland region's proposed rail corridor purchase; if so, what does he propose to do to carry out that assurance?

10. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: What progress has been made with the Grants for Private Sector Research and Development Scheme?

11. Hon KEN SHIRLEY to the Minister of Health: Is her reported approval of the privatisation of a range of health services at Taranaki hospital a "one-off" policy decision; if so, why?

12. DIANNE YATES to the Minister of State Services: What steps is he taking to make it easier for citizens to access Government services and information?

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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.

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