QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 20 March 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Minister for Biosecurity: Can he guarantee that the Government is doing everything it can to prevent an outbreak of foot-and-mouth in New Zealand, in light of the escalating crisis in the United Kingdom?

2. GEORGINA BEYER to the Minister for Accident Insurance: What action is he taking to correct the overcharging problem which came to light when employers were required to square up their accounts prior to the privatisation of workplace accident insurance?

3. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Prime Minister: Why did she blame parliamentary officials for the use of African rainforest timber in the Beehive refurbishment and accuse them of not following a Cabinet minute when her Cabinet's instruction of officials was only that no native timbers were to be used?

4. JILL PETTIS to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: How have publicly-funded research decisions been made under successive New Zealand Governments?

5. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Education: Does he agree with the National Party's position that marks should be awarded to students seeking secondary school qualifications?

6. IAN EWEN-STREET to the Minister for Biosecurity: What factors will the Government take into account in deciding whether to abandon or intensify efforts to eradicate the saltmarsh mosquito, which can carry the debilitating Ross River virus?

7. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to the Minister of Health: What fees and costs did Dr Joel Lexchin and Hon David Caygill each receive as independent reviewers of Pharmac's policies, and what was the total cost of the review?

8. JANET MACKEY to the Minister of Police: How much is the Government spending on the Police vehicle fleet and why is this spending necessary?

9. OWEN JENNINGS to the Minister of Defence: What assurances can he give that the Royal New Zealand Air Force is able to deliver its strategic defence role, the policing of our exclusive economic zone and undertaking search and rescue?

10. KEVIN CAMPBELL to the Minister of Corrections: What advice has he received on the progress of home detention?

11. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What transitional cost funding has been given to the 21 district health boards for their establishment in the 6-month period 1 January to 30 June 2001?

12. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Given the importance of exports to New Zealand's economic survival and the state of our balance of payments, does the Government intend to declare and support an "export year" project in the near future?

© Scoop Media

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>>