QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Thursday, 1 November 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Labour: Does she have confidence in Employment Relations Authority member Ms Susan Bathgate; if so, why?

2. NANAIA MAHUTA to the Minister of Education: What are the main proposals in the Early Childhood Strategic Planning Working Group's report?

3. SIMON POWER to the Minister of Labour: In light of her acknowledgement to the House yesterday that the Cabinet papers in which she proposed Ms Bathgate's appointment stated Ms Bathgate held other Crown warrants, does she accept full responsibility for Ms Bathgate being paid for all three Crown appointments; if not, why not?

4. GRAHAM KELLY to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: What is the Government's response to the decision of the Indonesian Parliament to allow an autonomy package for Irian Jaya?

5. Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU to the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: What would be the practical consequences of incorporating the eight specific Treaty of Waitangi and Maori cultural Royal Commission recommendations, which "the Government is currently engaged in discussion with members of the Maori caucus on", into the Government's proposed genetic engineering legislation?

6. ANN HARTLEY to the Minister of Fisheries: What is the next step in developing an Oceans Policy?

7. Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Following his clarification that his statement of 26 October was not a threat to withdraw funding from the Southern Institute of Technology, will he now go the extra step to join his colleague, the Deputy Prime Minister, in supporting the Institute's operation in Christchurch?

8. SUE BRADFORD to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Does he agree with the reported comment by the Education and Science Committee chairperson, Liz Gordon, that "While the two major political parties acknowledge that there are significant problems with the current system of fees, loans and allowances, neither has engaged in any solutions.", and what action, if any, does he intend to take?

9. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: Will she take action to ensure that New Zealand cancer patients requiring radiation treatment, who are unable to be treated within clinical guidelines here, receive financial assistance from the Government to immediately access treatment in Australia; if not, why not?

10. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: What is the Government doing to encourage science and research as a career for young New Zealanders?

11. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Has he received any information that would lead him to change his answer to the House that "I also recall ... the offer of the Special Air Services (SAS) troops to the effort to defeat terrorism. That action also was supported by every member of the Government."?

12. RON MARK to the Minister for Courts: What progress has been made on the proposal announced in February 2001 to work with other agencies to prevent those with outstanding court fines from leaving the country?

Questions to Members

1. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Chairperson of the Education and Science Committee: What progress has been made in the committee's inquiry into decile funding?

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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>>