QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 27 November 2001

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in all her Ministers; if so, why?

2. JOHN WRIGHT to the Minister for Industry and Regional Development: What impacts is it expected the Regional Development Conference being held in Rotoroa this week will have on regional and economic development?

3. Hon DAVID CARTER to the Minister of Finance: Why has the Government agreed to commit a further $150 million of taxpayers' money to the recapitalisation of Air New Zealand?

4. STEPHEN FRANKS to the Minister of Finance: Has the Government agreed on representation of Singapore Airlines and BIL on the Board of Air New Zealand; if so, what will their representation be?

5. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Health: Why did the Government decide to restrict retrospective payment to only those cancer patients who commenced radiation treatment in Australia on or after Thursday 6 September 2001?

6. MARK PECK to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he received on the future provision of New Zealand Superannuation?

7. Dr WAYNE MAPP to the Associate Minister of Justice: Did she consider whether the criminal defamation provision in her Supplementary Order Paper to the Electoral Amendment Bill (No 2) would be inconsistent with the protection of freedom of expression contained in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990?

8. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Health: Is she satisfied that all women who have received concentrated courses of radiotherapy as part of their treatment for breast cancer were informed of the possible higher risks of future complications and gave their informed consent for the procedure; if so, on what does she base this confidence?

9. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Defence: Did Major General Dodson access the personal defence records of a current member of Parliament; if so, can he assure the House that it was not in response to questions being raised in the House by the member concerned?

10. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Education: What steps has he taken to ease the pressure on local schools of increased enrolments in Howick and Manurewa?

11. Dr MURIEL NEWMAN to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Why did he wait until 23 November before announcing a fraud investigation into the possible misuse of the student loan scheme and the activities of the Practical Education Training Centre in New Plymouth?

12. DIANNE YATES to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: How much interest has the venture capital community shown in the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund?

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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>>