QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 8 May 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Prime Minister: Who told her that the Government's $5.9 billion fiscal cap would be exceeded, and on what date?

2. SUE BRADFORD to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Has he received any reports suggesting that around 95% of eligible households are not receiving a special benefit; if so, what action does he intend to take to remedy the situation?

3. Hon KEN SHIRLEY to the Minister for Crown Research Institutes: Is the real purpose of the AgResearch project involving the insertion of human genes into cows "to produce genetically engineered dairy food and have nothing to do with MS", as claimed by the Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons; if not, what is the real purpose?

4. HELEN DUNCAN to the Minister of Education: What reports has he received on the Government's senior school assessment policy?

5. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: Was he correctly reported as stating that he did not tell his ministerial colleagues in December that the fiscal cap would need to be exceeded "because that could have signalled, if you like, an upping of the base ante in terms of negotiations with other Ministers"?

6. KEVIN CAMPBELL to the Minister of Corrections: What reports has he received about cell phone use in prisons?

7. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: How does he reconcile the statement in his Community Services Card Fact Sheet that the "Government has NOT made any policy decisions that would mean working people were treated differently to beneficiaries with respect to Community Services Card eligibility" with the Minister of Health's response to question for written answer No 4440 in which she confirms that she took a paper to Cabinet seeking additional funding to increase the card threshold for all New Zealanders?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Fisheries: What is the Government doing to promote opportunities for the involvement of New Zealanders within the fishing industry?

9. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Police: In light of the latest annual crime statistics which showed all violent offences are up 4.7%, robberies are up 12.2%, grievous assaults are up 8.8% and sexual offences are up 9.5%, why did he say in April this year that "New Zealand is a more secure place to be"?

10. DAMIEN O'CONNOR to the Minister for Rural Affairs: What reports has he received on the Government's rural initiatives?

11. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: Will the West Coast District Health Board be required to pay interest on any bridging finance it may receive as an equity injection from the Government?

12. DIANNE YATES to the Minister of Education: What is the state of adult literacy?

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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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