Questions for Oral Answer
As At Wednesday, 12 May 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What progress is the Government making towards its target of 6,500 Modern Apprenticeships by June 2004?

2. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Has she or any of her Ministers and their officials had any discussions or correspondence with officials from other countries exploring whether they would be prepared to accept Ahmed Zaoui; if so, how much has this added to the total cost to the taxpayer associated with Zaoui?

3. MURRAY SMITH to the Minister of Maori Affairs: Does he continue to stand by his statements last week that "We are a party that does not turn our backs on the issues facing Maori and walk away from the difficult problems.", and that he has "spent a lifetime advocating for Maori to Governments."; if so, why?

4. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Deputy Prime Minister: What are the compliance costs for councils and resource consent applicants arising from the amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 identified in the explanatory note to the Foreshore and Seabed Bill?

5. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister of Health: Has she received any reports on the rollout of the Primary Health Care Strategy?

6. GERRARD ECKHOFF to the Minister of Fisheries: What has he achieved since becoming Minister of Fisheries?

7. IAN EWEN-STREET to the Minister for Biosecurity: If corn seed contaminated with LibertyLink T25 is found to still be growing at present, will it be removed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; if so, under what authority?

8. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to the Minister of Police: Why was the Police Prosecution Service established and what role did it have in independently appraising decisions in relation to the prosecution of Shane Ardern MP?

9. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Tourism: Has he received any recent reports on New Zealand's reputation as a quality visitor destination?

10. HEATHER ROY to the Minister of Health: Is the Mental Health Commission correct when it states that "In 2002/2003, for the period January to June, 758 fewer people were reported as being seen by mental health services than during the same period in the previous year", and what has been the increase in annual funding for mental health services since she became Minister?

11. DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Small Business: What reports has he received on compliance cost reductions achieved by Government departments in recent years?

12. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: What was the total cost in the first four months of this year of sending New Zealand cancer patients to Australia for radiation therapy?

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>>