QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Thursday, 13 September 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: What are the details of the latest Government decision, if any, on the foreign airline ownership cap, maintaining its Kiwi share commitments and the status of Air New Zealand's A and B shares?

2. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Health: What position is the Government taking at today's meeting of the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Council when Ministers will be asked to approve the irradiation of herbs, spices, herbal infusions and certain nuts?

3. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE to the Minister of Finance: Has the Government agreed that Singapore Airlines can increase its shareholding in Air New Zealand; if so, why was this not agreed to three months ago when Singapore Airlines was prepared to pay $1.31 per share?

4. MARK PECK to the Minister of Finance: What do the latest statements of the Crown financial accounts show?

5. BELINDA VERNON to the Minister of Finance: In light of his comment about the acting chairman of Air New Zealand that "if he thinks the difference between the number they originally came up with and the number that was agreed ... is a small one, then he lives in a very strange commercial world", what was the difference or percentage change between the two numbers?

6. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: What update has he received on possible New Zealand casualties arising out of the terrorist attack on the United States?

7. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Police: Does he believe that the provisions of the Police Amendment Bill (No 2) will promote "good faith bargaining" in light of the comment from Geoff Davenport, an International Labour Organisation legal specialist, that "In short, police employees will be treated considerably less favourably than State sector employees despite the assertions of the Government, and, if the predictions of the Government are to be believed, the effect of the amendment will be to skew the outcome of the arbitration in the Government's favour. Such a result cannot be consistent with the desire for impartiality, as noted by the ILO."?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Having regard to the recent terrorist attacks on the United States, is the Government still offering to take 145 Afghan asylum-seekers; if so, why?

9. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister of Broadcasting: Is it correct that she has been advised, following the Arthur Andersen valuation, that TVNZ is now worth $575 million compared to $975 million when it was valued by Ord Minnett in 1998; if so, what are the reasons for this $400 million drop in value?

10. NANAIA MAHUTA to the Minister of Education: What steps is he taking to ensure every teacher in every primary school in New Zealand gets access to professional development on numeracy?

11. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Associate Minister of Health: Will she attend any of the remaining meetings between the Ministry of Health and the aged care sector which are discussing proposals to standardise contracts for residential aged care providers by moving to section 88 notices; if not, why not?

12. JANET MACKEY to the Minister of Police: Following the Police's recent launch of a recruitment drive designed to attract 600 to 700 police recruits by June next year, how many inquiries have the Police received on the 0800 NEWCOPS hotline?

© 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>>