QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 15 May 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister for the Environment: In relation to her decision not to exercise her call-in powers under the Resource Management Act 1991 in respect of CO2 emissions from a new thermal power station planned for Otahuhu, what specific alternative policies was she referring to when she reportedly spoke of new measures the Government is planning to introduce under its energy efficiency strategy?

2. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Attorney-General: Did she, on behalf of the Crown, approve the terms of the settlement between Mr John Yelash and the Prime Minister?

3. GRAHAM KELLY to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Will New Zealand assist Fiji with preparations for the August general elections; if so, why?

4. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his signed Statement of Responsibility in the December Economic and Fiscal Update that "I accept overall responsibility for the integrity of the disclosures contained in this Update"?

5. MAHARA OKEROA to the Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment (Employment): What reports has he received on the outcomes for Maori employment from the Modern Apprenticeship Pilot schemes?

6. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: Does she expect any district health boards to cut services as a result of their funding allocation for 2001/2002?

7. HARRY DUYNHOVEN to the Minister of Veterans' Affairs: Has he received any further reports on the involvement of New Zealand personnel in nuclear-related exercises at Maralinga in the 1950s?

8. ANNE TOLLEY to the Minister of Finance: In light of the Minister of Women's Affairs' comment that "It would simply be unthinkable that the Alliance would proceed with Budget negotiations without some confidence that we were going to make progress on this critical issue. And we did obtain confidence in that through the Budget discussion process.", will paid parental leave be fully appropriated in this year's Budget; if not, why not?

9. WILLIE JACKSON to the Associate Minister of Commerce: Have there been any recent initiatives to address problems in the construction industry?

10. LINDSAY TISCH to the Minister of Internal Affairs: When does he expect to complete the gaming review?

11. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: What percentage of the "intellectual property" value of Airways Corporation, which was to form part of the Lockheed Martin consortium bid for Britain's National Air Traffic System contract, was held by three senior executives, Messrs Sinclair, Woodbury and Bole?

12. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE to the Attorney-General: When she assured the Cabinet that she "was satisfied that the matter arose as part of the Prime Minister's ministerial duties", in relation to the defamation action brought by Mr John Yelash, what part of the Prime Minister's duties was it to wrongly call an Auckland actor a "convicted murderer"?

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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>>