QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Thursday, 3 May 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. RON MARK to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Has he received any indication that legal action may be taken by the vendors of the land under offer for the proposed Mandeville youth justice facility; if so, is there any potential for financial liability to taxpayers?

2. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: How does he reconcile his statement of 26 April that "Changes to the qualifying income threshold for the Community Services Card only affect superannuitants" with the statement made on his 1 May fact sheet that the "Government has NOT made any change to Community Services Card thresholds"?

3. DIANNE YATES to the Minister of State Services: How will the recently released e-government strategy improve people's ability to communicate with the Government?

4. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: What reports has she received about projected operating deficits for district health boards?

5. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Tourism: Has he received any reports on the importance of tourism to the New Zealand economy?

6. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What immediate funding relief will be given to public or private rest homes and geriatric hospitals for the next financial year?

7. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister for the Environment: In view of yesterday's "landmark" High Court ruling setting aside the Environmental Risk Management Authority's approval for putting copies of human genes in cows, what steps will she take to ensure ERMA complies with the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act and ERMA's own methodologies and processes in assessing any future applications?

8. Dr MURIEL NEWMAN to the Prime Minister: Why has she not provided the details requested in my written questions Nos 4299, 4300, and 4387 to 4389 related to the merger of the Ministry of Social Policy and the Department of Work and Income?

9. JOHN TAMIHERE to the Minister of Revenue: What proposals are being considered by the Government to simplify tax for small business?

10. BELINDA VERNON to the Minister of Transport: Does he support Virgin Blue's plans to set up a no-frills airline service in New Zealand including a trans-Tasman link?

11. MARTIN GALLAGHER to the Minister for the Environment: Is she worried about a recent Massey University survey which found that 42 percent of New Zealanders think that "New Zealand's clean, green image is a myth"?

12. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Police: Are any police areas under strength to such a degree that services to the public have been affected; if so, where?

Questions to Members

1. NANDOR TANCZOS to the Chairperson of the Health Committee: When will the Health Committee begin public hearings on submissions received as part of its inquiry into health strategies relating to cannabis use?

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>>