Questions for Oral Answer
As At Wednesday, 16 June 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. MARC ALEXANDER to the Minister of Health: Does she intend to provide for the registration and labelling of all beauty products for the presence of any of the 20,000 chemicals and other substances that are used in such products, as called for by Sue Kedgley following Reading University's research into parabens, and what would such a regime cost?

2. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Immigration: How many staff work for the New Zealand Immigration Service, and is he satisfied they are doing a competent job?

3. LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Has he received any reports relating to the legislation prohibiting nuclear powered ships visiting New Zealand?

4. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Has he received any information that would cause him to review the Government's policy of excluding nuclear propelled ships from New Zealand waters?

5. JOHN KEY to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement to the House yesterday, "We do not have any evidence to suggest that people will be dissuaded from working if they are in those upper-middle incomes that hit the higher effective marginal tax rate.", and does he believe the impact of such high effective marginal tax rates on middle income working families is fair and reasonable?

6. Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: What is the total new expenditure on research, science and technology in this year's Budget, and how does this compare to previous years?

7. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Immigration: What is the total updated taxpayer cost to date for all legal costs, prison costs, court costs, and any other costs associated with Ahmed Zaoui since his arrival in December 2002?

8. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister of Labour: Will any amendments to the Holidays Act 2003 be introduced and passed before Labour weekend; if not, why not?

9. SUE BRADFORD to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How will the abolition of the special benefit affect the income of beneficiaries without children in the future?

10. Dr MURIEL NEWMAN to the Minister of Finance: Following the Prime Minister's answer yesterday "that the Budget shifts the inherent issue of effective marginal tax rates further up the income scale.", what is the highest effective marginal tax rate for a working family following the full implementation of the Government's Budget, and how many working families will face an effective marginal tax rate of over 80 percent?

11. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Conservation: Does he agree with the statement on National Radio last Wednesday by his ministerial colleague, Hon Damien O'Connor, in respect of the Conservation land required for the Dobson Hydro Power scheme, "Now I'm sure that a suitable trade can be arrived at."; if so, what steps is the Government taking to enable a suitable trade of land?

12. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER to the Associate Minister of Energy: What initiatives has the Government announced to meet future demand for gas in New Zealand?

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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>>