Questions for Oral Answer
As At Tuesday, 14 September 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. MURRAY SMITH to the Associate Minister of Justice: Is he satisfied that the Care of Children Bill supports parents in fulfilling their responsibilities to their children; if so, why?

2. Dr DON BRASH to the Minister of Justice: Will the Government accept an offer from the National Party to pass through all stages this week a bill to prevent convicted criminals from collecting significant taxpayer compensation for alleged human rights breaches; if not, why not?

3. RON MARK to the Minister of Police: Does he have any concerns that police face impediments to working collaboratively with other Government agencies and the public to ensure community safety?

4. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement that the amendments to the Employment Relations Act 2000 "will enable unions to be more effective and thereby give a stronger basis for recruitment."; if so, how do the amendments give unions a stronger basis for recruitment?

5. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What reports has he received on Work and Income job partnerships with industry to assist people into employment?

6. Dr WAYNE MAPP to the Minister of Labour: Why has the Government introduced a bill making it a breach of good faith for an employer to enter into an individual agreement which has the effect of undermining a collective agreement, given the statement by Graeme Harrison, chairman of ANZCO Food Limited, that in the "bad old days" the unions "led by people not employed on site, effectively controlled the plant yet were not interested in addressing issues to ensure its survival."?

7. RODNEY HIDE to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in all her Ministers, and what is her view on her Minister of Police telling Parliament the police are "unable to comment" on whether the Prime Minister has been interviewed by the police investigating the Prime Minister's speeding motorcade?

8. Hon MARK GOSCHE to the Minister of Transport: What plans, if any, has the Government for rail in New Zealand?

9. PETER BROWN to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree with Transit New Zealand chairman, David Stubbs', reported comments that "with the nationwide gap in funding for new roads, Transit's approach tended to be that if a project can be tolled, then toll it."; if not, why not?

10. MARK PECK to the Minister for Small Business: What data has he received on the contribution that small to medium enterprises have made to employment in the economy?

11. ROD DONALD to the Prime Minister: When she met with the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in July to discuss progress on a trade deal between New Zealand and Thailand, did she raise any concerns regarding environmental and labour standards and human rights abuses in Thailand; if not, why not?

12. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Police: Has he received any reports from police on offending rates while on bail; if so, what do those reports say?

Questions to Members
1. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Chairperson of the Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation Committee: How much time has the committee set aside to listen to submissions on the Foreshore and Seabed Bill?

2. LARRY BALDOCK to the Chairperson of the Justice and Electoral Committee: What criteria did the committee use to determine which submitters out of the hundreds of submissions received on the Civil Union Bill would be allowed to submit orally?

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>>