QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 26 June 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What steps has he taken to implement the Prime Minister's commitment that her Government "will set new standards - both in terms of behaviour and performance"?

2. JILL PETTIS to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What reports has he received on the outlook for the job market?

3. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Did the chair of New Zealand Post, Dr Ross Armstrong, follow appropriate procedures in conveying allegations of serious misconduct against his deputy chair, Mr Syd Bradley, to the Minister prior to raising those matters with Mr Bradley himself?

4. Hon BRIAN DONNELLY to the Minister of Education: What are the minimum proportions of external assessment for subjects per year level and for the total system under the National Certificate of Educational Achievement?

5. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Education: What steps has he taken to help to bridge the digital divide in schools?

6. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Has he seen the statement by Mr Ken Douglas, a director of New Zealand Post Ltd, that "If I was a politician and looking at this question, I don't think I would have made the decision to invest in banking, because there's already a pretty saturated market."; if so, has he enquired as to whether other directors of New Zealand Post Ltd have such serious doubts about plans to proceed with the People's Bank?

7. MITA RIRINUI to the Minister of Broadcasting: Why has the Government decided to re-establish TVNZ as a Crown-owned company?

8. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his reported comment that he wanted a further police search for two mystery objects which could be the bodies of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope, found in the Tory Channel last year in a Navy sonar search; if not, why not?

9. ROD DONALD to the Minister of Transport: What action does the Government intend to take to ensure that passenger rail services are maintained for communities such as Invercargill, Dunedin, Oamaru, Ashburton, Napier and other centres on those lines, given its strong commitment to tourism, regional development and keeping commuter rail services for Auckland and Wellington?

10. STEPHEN FRANKS to the Minister of Justice: Were Ms Deborah Te Pania and her children relocated to Australia with the assistance of taxpayers' funds; if so, does this case raise any policy concerns?

11. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: What is her response to comments made by Dr Sven Hansen that he had resigned as a director of the Auckland District Health Board because "almost incomprehensible" funding cuts to the health sector would eventually reduce services and staff and would put patients at risk?

12. LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN to the Minister of Transport: What progress has been made with providing resources for Pacific communities to promote road safety initiatives?

© 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>>