QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 19 June 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Prime Minister: How does she justify saying "We've set out to offer hope to low and middle income New Zealanders that this country can work for them too.", when under this Government there has been the largest annual increase in food prices for more than a decade?

2. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister for Small Business: What progress has the Government made in implementing the 10-point plan for small business that Labour proposed in its pre-election policy?

3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Was she inferring, when she said on Wednesday 23 May 2001 in response to a question regarding the Yelash settlement, "It was provided to me as the negotiated settlement, and on that basis I did not object to it.", that until that point in time in China, she had never discussed the issue of confidentiality or the penalty clause should it be breached by the other party?

4. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: What will the Government do with the $600 million it has allocated to the Superannuation Fund for 2001/02?

5. STEPHEN FRANKS to the Minister of Corrections: Did the Department of Corrections supply information or recommendations to the Parole Board when the Board was considering home leaves, day parole and work paroles for convicted murderer, Shane Rogers; if so, what did this information indicate?

6. TAITO PHILLIP FIELD to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What plans does the Government have for the reform of the social security system?

7. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister of Labour: Did she or her Associate Minister accept an invitation to talk to the striking New Zealand Herald journalists who are members of the Engineers Union; if so, why did she or her Associate Minister end up not addressing the striking workers?

8. DAMIEN O'CONNOR to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps will the Government now take to facilitate the Global Dairy Company Ltd merger proposal, endorsed by farmers yesterday?

9. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Education: Are students who access the secondary subject trainee allowances restricted in where they are able to study for their teaching qualification?

10. ROD DONALD to the Minister for Trade Negotiations: If the possible Hong Kong "closer economic partnership" agreement proceeds, what steps will the Government take to ensure that the $462 million of clothing New Zealand currently imports from China each year is not illegally transhipped through Hong Kong in order to avoid paying the $83 million of tariffs currently charged on those imports?

11. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What reports has she received on district health boards considering reconfiguration of services?

12. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Energy: Has the recent rain had any impact on the hydro lake levels and how quickly would he expect wholesale electricity prices to fall if the winter rains continue?

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>>