Questions for Oral Answer
As At Tuesday, 27 July 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he received on the state of the New Zealand economy?

2. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: As of today, how many New Zealanders are receiving the sickness and invalid's benefits, and what percentage change does that represent from the numbers receiving the same benefits in 1999?

3. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does he still dismiss suggestions that Work and Income had a policy of transferring hard-to-employ people from unemployment to sickness benefits; if so, why?

4. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Deputy Prime Minister: Does he stand by his response on the Agenda programme of 24 April 2004 when asked if an effect of the Foreshore and Seabed Bill will be to create veto powers effectively allowing Maori to refuse consent unless they are reimbursed, thereby creating a charging regime, that, "If we're talking about a customary usage right that could be the case"; if so, why?

5. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister for Food Safety: Why has she not used her powers under section 40 of the Food Act 1981 to issue a mandatory recall of all food products that contained cornflour that was contaminated with lead 100 times above the maximum level accepted under New Zealand standards?

6. LYNNE PILLAY to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): How is the Tertiary Education Commission assisting the tertiary education sector to support growth and innovation?

7. BRIAN CONNELL to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his responses to the House to Question for Oral Answer number 3 on 23 June 2004; if so, why?

8. DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Conservation: Has he received any reports on the current management of the former Timberlands forests that are now protected as conservation land?

9. RON MARK to the Minister of Justice: Will he be reviewing the sentencing laws to ensure that provision for reparation to victims does not buy lighter sentences; if not, why not?

10. RODNEY HIDE to the Prime Minister: Following her advice to judges that they should "stick to the bench", how does she believe that Chief Justice Sian Elias should pursue her concerns about the "institutional independence of the judiciary as a whole from the Executive.", given the Chief Justice's view quoted in the New Zealand Herald that the judges are "very vulnerable on this question of independence"?

11. JUDY TURNER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does he stand by his statement with regard to the development of family support services that "I am confident that MSD's collaboration with NGOs and other relevant agencies to achieve a more effective and responsive family service sector will not only relieve pressure on CYF but also result in greater practical help for New Zealand families in their communities,"; if not, why not?

12. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: Does she believe the amount of elective surgery currently being performed by the Canterbury District Health Board is meeting the needs of Canterbury residents; 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>>