QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Wednesday, 25 July 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Minister of Health: Will she instruct the Canterbury District Health Board to ensure that their restructuring plans for the Christchurch Hospital emergency department do not put patient safety at risk or undermine the recommendations made in the Stent Report; if not, why not?

2. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Police: In the light of the deaths of two people after being pepper sprayed by the New Zealand Police, including the death this month of an intellectually disabled man, what steps has he taken to review the dangers to health of pepper spray and its use by the Police?

3. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: What is her response to statements by the chief operating officer of the Canterbury District Health Board that elective surgery will be cut this financial year as less money is available for elective operations than in the last three years?

4. RICK BARKER to the Minister of Agriculture: Will the Government consider bailing out the pipfruit industry from the ENZA foreign exchange losses, as the Hon Richard Prebble was reported as suggesting on Morning Report today?

5. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Broadcasting: What plans are there for cost reductions in TV1 and TV2 in light of the media reports that if savings of approximately $60 million over the next three years are not achieved then the Television business faces the very real risk of making significant losses?

6. GEORGINA BEYER to the Minister of Energy: What role did New Zealand play in drawing to a conclusion the discussion in Bonn for an international convention on climate change?

7. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Health: When she wrote to the Southland District Health Board saying that "The ability to manage within a capped budget and to continue service delivery at previous levels will be difficult even with efficiency gains and service reconfigurations.", did she mean that even if they cut staff and cut services they will still run a big deficit; if not, what did she mean?

8. JOHN WRIGHT to the Minister for Economic Development: What recent reports has he received about the desirability of the Government abandoning hands-off policies and instead offering support and advice?

9. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What is her response to comments made by the chief executive of the Northland District Health Board that "I'm very concerned that the Government has not provided enough money to run a clinically safe service next year."?

10. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Energy: Are developers and new home owners required to pay for electricity supply 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?

11. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: Why is the MidCentral District Health Board being placed under intensive monitoring by the Ministry of Health?

12. JOHN TAMIHERE to the Minister of Maori Affairs: What are the expected benefits of the Maori television service announced yesterday?

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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>>