Questions for Oral Answer
As At Wednesday, 15 September 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: Is she satisfied with the performance of her Acting Minister of Justice who yesterday rejected a National Party offer to facilitate urgent legislation removing the entitlement of prisoners to compensation from the Department of Corrections, in light of news reports that 18 new compensation claims have now been lodged; if so, why?

2. LYNNE PILLAY to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What initiatives does the Government have in place to help boys make a successful transition from school into jobs in industry?

3. BARBARA STEWART to the Minister of Health: What concerns does she have, if any, regarding Ministry of Health chief Pacific health adviser Debbie Ryan's reported comments "the statistics made grim reading and showed the health system was failing Pacific children.", and what is she doing about this?

4. PAUL ADAMS to the Minister of Labour: On how many occasions in the past five years have Labour Inspectors exercised their powers under section 103 of the Fisheries Act 1996 to ascertain whether work permit holders employed on foreign charter fishing vessels are being paid at the levels required under the Minimum Wage Act 1983 and the Wages Protection Act 1983, and what has been the result of those inspections?

5. Dr WAYNE MAPP to the Minister of Labour: How does he believe the bargaining fee arrangements he intends introducing to the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill will benefit the nearly 1.7 million members of the New Zealand workforce who have chosen not to join a union and pay union fees?

6. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister of Customs: What action is the Government taking to stop overseas drug syndicates from trafficking illicit drugs into New Zealand?

7. HEATHER ROY to the Minister of Health: What was the total number of people at the end of June 2004 who, following first specialist assessment, were on waiting lists, booked or given certainty of treatment within six months, on active review, or had been referred to the care of their general practitioner?

8. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Health: Does she accept responsibility for the safety of patients in New Zealand hospitals?

9. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Education: Does he agree that the standard of education delivered in schools is dependent on the funds each school is able to raise from non-government sources, as stated by the New Zealand School Trustees Association President Chris Haines; if not, why not?

10. DAVID PARKER to the Associate Minister for the Environment: What is the purpose of the Government's proposed changes to the Resource Management Act 1991?

11. Hon ROGER SOWRY to the Minister for Small Business: Does he believe the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill, as reported back by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, addresses all the concerns that the small business sector currently has with employment law; if not, why not?

12. Hon MATT ROBSON to the Minister for Economic Development: What initiatives is the Labour Progressive Coalition Government taking to encourage major sporting, cultural or business events to be held in New Zealand?

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>>