QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Wednesday, 14 November 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon TONY RYALL to the Prime Minister: Did she and the Associate Minister of Corrections discuss the Associate Minister's "special relationship" with Matthew Solomon Thompson; if so, on what date was it first discussed?

2. DONNA AWATERE HUATA to the Minister of Education: Why has he, as reported, dismissed almost all the recommendations of the Education and Science Committee's inquiry into the teaching of reading, which were supported by all members of the committee from Labour, the Alliance, National, New Zealand First and ACT New Zealand?

3. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What initiatives is the Government taking to address skill shortages?

4. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Corrections: Further to his answer yesterday that "at various times there are issues that the Prime Minister has raised with me as Minister in various capacities. At some of those meetings I have also raised issues about other Ministers, and occasionally about the Associate Minister.", specifically what concerns did he raise with the Prime Minister about the Associate Minister, and when?

5. JUDY KEALL to the Minister of Health: Has she received any recent reports on future changes to health policy; if so, what did they say?

6. SIMON POWER to the Minister of Police: Has he been directly involved in any operational policing matters since becoming the Minister of Police; if so, why?

7. HARRY DUYNHOVEN to the Minister of Labour: Has she received any reports relating to the determination of Ms Bathgate's remuneration?

8. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: Why is the Ministry of Health advertising for a new position of Principal Medical Advisor and what will be the role of this new position?

9. HELEN DUNCAN to the Associate Minister of Education: What steps is the Government taking to ensure the effective governance, management and practice for resource teacher learning and behaviour clusters?

10. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Labour: Does she consider the typical response of Auckland businesses surveyed on her Health and Safety in Employment Bill, that "If the Government wants to stop business in its tracks they are going the right way about it.", is a fair comment; if not, why not?

11. RON MARK to the Minister of Defence: Can he assure the House that the expenditure of $773,315 of taxpayers' funds by the New Zealand Army with Communication Trumps for public relations advice was justified and represents a sound investment; if so, how?

12. IAN EWEN-STREET to the Minister for Biosecurity: Following the discovery of larvae, suspected to be of the Asian tiger mosquito, in used machinery from Japan, will the Government now insist on 100 percent off-shore inspection, decontamination and fumigation of all new and used vehicles and tyres; 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>>