QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 24 July 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. MARK PECK to the Minister of Finance: Has he received any reports on the future of New Zealand Superannuation; if so, what do they say?

2. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Prime Minister: Does she support her Finance Minister's document Tax and charities, which proposes to increase taxes for charities and churches; if so, why?

3. NANDOR TANCZOS to the Minister of Corrections: What action is he taking over a reported offer by a Corrections Department contractor "to construct a financial settlement for a Northland family if they withdrew their opposition" to the proposed prison site at Ngawha?

4. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: What is her response to media reports that the Auckland District Health Board is facing a $62 million deficit this financial year and that it is proposing "service exits" to save $30 million over the next two years in a bid to live within its means as required by the Government?

5. TAITO PHILLIP FIELD to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Does the Government intend introducing time-limited social security benefits?

6. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE to the Minister of Agriculture: What are the Government's reasons for considering appointing a statutory manager to ENZA?

7. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Communications: Are developers and new home owners required to pay for telephone cabling, lines materials and installation costs only to lose all rights to ownership of them once installation is complete and thereafter be required to pay a line charge; if so, why?

8. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Has he ever directed officials to be evasive before a select committee?

9. HELEN DUNCAN to the Minister responsible for the Education Review Office: Will he ensure that schools have a chance to comment on proposed changes to the way they are reviewed by the Education Review Office; if so, how?

10. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: How will she ensure that the Government's proposal to move $8 million from geriatric hospital care to fund a small increase in rest home care will not significantly harm the care of our most frail elderly?

11. MARTIN GALLAGHER to the Associate Minister of Energy: What steps are being taken to lower the sulphur levels in diesel throughout New Zealand?

12. LINDSAY TISCH to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Was the Fire Service's human resources manager correct when he said that "there is no compulsion" for paid firefighters to accept the new employment contract and that "There are people who wish to keep their old terms and they can."; if not, why not?

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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>>