Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 12 February 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. STEPHEN FRANKS to the Prime Minister: Does she agree with the Deputy Prime Minister that fear of a damaging response "in the international courts" will hold Dr Don Brash back from doing what the Orewa speech indicates; if not, why did she not correct Hon Dr Michael Cullen's statement after he made it on the day of the speech?

2. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Broadcasting: How many employees of Television New Zealand Limited, if any, attended the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam in 2003, and what was the total cost including all fares, accommodation, entertainment, dining, transport costs etc?

3. Dr WAYNE MAPP to the Attorney-General: Does she stand by her statement to Parliament yesterday that Maori customary rights holders would have the "same rights and consequences" as attached to any other property right, and does that mean that customary rights holders have an "effective power of veto over development proposals" as stated by the Solicitor-General to the Waitangi Tribunal?

4. HELEN DUNCAN to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): How is the Government supporting tertiary education organisations to develop e-learning?

5. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister in charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service: What steps is she taking to review the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service's role in issuing security risk certificates following her reported statement that the security provisions of the Immigration Act will be reviewed after the Zaoui case?

6. DIANNE YATES to the Minister of Health: What action has been taken to prepare New Zealand in the event of avian influenza arriving?

7. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Justice: What guidance does the Sentencing Act 2002 give to judges when setting a minimum period of imprisonment for an offender sentenced to life for murder, when the deceased was particularly vulnerable because of his or her age?

8. DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Transport: What changes, if any, is the Government making to search and rescue operations in New Zealand following the boating tragedy off the Oamaru coast last year?

9. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister of Energy: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement on Tuesday that "the second electricity supply shortage in three years proved beyond doubt that there were fundamental flaws in the 1990s market model."; if so, what are those flaws?

10. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: Does she believe Maori New Zealanders should have separate rooms in hospital from non-Maori New Zealanders; if so, why?

11. MARK PECK to the Minister for Small Business: What positive suggestions has he received from the recent series of small business visits?

12. JUDY TURNER to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF): Does she agree with the comments of the former Department of Child, Youth and Family Services Acting Chief Executive, Brenda Pilott, that "considerable progress" had been made towards improving the quality and consistency of the department's Call Centre systems following the September 2002 Department of Child, Youth and Family Services National Call Centre Evaluation Report; if so, why?

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>>