Questions for Oral Answer
As At Tuesday, 30 March 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in the Minister for the Environment; if so, why?

2. CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Finance: Has the Government made any announcements in respect of the financial implications of the Auckland transport package; if so, what were they?

3. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Corrections: Who is conducting the inquiry to produce the report he has commissioned into how the Department of Corrections spent $1.3 million on iwi consultation for the proposed Spring Hill prison and what are the inquirer's terms of reference?

4. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Labour: Is the Government currently considering any changes to the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill; if so, what are the details of those changes?

5. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Can she give any assurances, given that citizenship and passport laws are currently being reviewed, that permanent and temporary residency laws will also be reviewed consistent with concerns over national security; if so, why?

6. SIMON POWER to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Women's Affairs and Acting Minister for Social Development and Employment; if so, why?

7. BERNIE OGILVY to the Minister of Education: Is he satisfied that schools receive sufficient funding; if so, why?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for ACC: Is she satisfied that all of Accident Compensation Corporation practices are ethical and within the law?

9. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister of Energy: What additional steps will he be taking to promote energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy following the cancellation of Project Aqua?

10. MOANA MACKEY to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment: What trends have been identified in the number of people receiving the Unemployment Benefit?

11. JUDITH COLLINS to the Minister for Courts: Does he agree "that the persistent labelling of Family Court proceedings as 'secret' was misleading and irresponsible.", and "There is nothing secret about the Family Court at all," as stated by Principal Family Court Judge, Peter Boshier, on 26 March 2004; if so, why?

12. Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY to the Minister of Education: What steps is he taking to address boys' under-achievement in schools?

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>>