QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Thursday, 30 August 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Minister of Defence: What criteria is the Government using to cease funding the Centre for Strategic Studies?

2. HELEN DUNCAN to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What is the Government doing to develop a co-ordinated approach to e-learning?

3. Hon MAX BRADFORD to the Minister of Defence: What Government funding has been provided to the Military Studies Institute at Massey University since 1999, and what funding has been budgeted in the 2001/02 financial year?

4. PHILLIDA BUNKLE to the Minister of Consumer Affairs: What legislative initiatives is he taking to address consumer concerns about the services provided by utilities?

5. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Have State-owned power generators made increased profits off consumers during the current power crisis; if so, how much?

6. Hon BRIAN DONNELLY to the Minister of Education: How has the Ministry of Education online learning centre Intranet site, Te Kete Ipurangi, assisted schools?

7. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: In light of his assertions to the House that the New Zealand Post Ltd decision to initiate legal proceedings against Hon Richard Prebble had "board approval" and the chairman "specifically confirmed" such approval, will he read to the House the precise wording in the minutes of the meeting which records such "board approval"?

8. DAMIEN O'CONNOR to the Minister for Rural Affairs: What progress is being made on the Sustainable Farming Fund?

9. OWEN JENNINGS to the Minister of Defence: Can he confirm that in the July 2000 draft Cabinet paper the Chief of Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence recommended the purchase of 55 light armoured vehicles with an option of 50 further vehicles but that following a briefing to him from the Chief of General Staff he provided specific guidance to the Secretary of Defence and the Chief of Defence Force on the range of options to be included in the Cabinet paper, and that the subsequent Cabinet paper did not contain the specific recommendations of the Secretary of Defence and Chief of Defence Force but presented what they had recommended as only an option?

10. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Prime Minister: How many messages has she received from New Zealanders calling on her to ban GE field trials and commercial releases into our environment and what has been her response?

11. BELINDA VERNON to the Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Auckland Issues: Has she given any advice to the Prime Minister as to whether the Government will meet the deadline of 31 August for the completion of negotiations with Tranz Rail over access to the Auckland rail corridor; if so, what was that advice?

12. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister of Health: What action is being taken to reduce the incidence of spina bifida in New Zealand?

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>>