Questions for Oral Answer As At Tuesday, 9 November 2004

Questions to Ministers

1. MARC ALEXANDER to the Minister of Justice: How much funding has the Government committed to Youth Law through the Legal Services Agency, and is that funding likely to continue beyond the current contract?

2. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Education: What is the Government's policy on parents being required to provide financial contributions to their children's schools?

3. TIM BARNETT to the Minister of Justice: What action is he taking to protect persons from becoming victims of voyeuristic photography or filming in intimate and private situations?

4. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Immigration: What will the inquiry into Somali refugee Asha Ali Abdille, announced on Friday 5 November, involve that was not completed by his officials at an earlier date?

5. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Justice: When is he expecting to introduce legislation making changes to prisoner compensation procedures?

6. METIRIA TUREI to the Deputy Prime Minister: Has the Government received any urgent requests for information from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding the Foreshore and Seabed Bill; if so, what is the nature of those requests?

7. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Revenue: Does he believe that the average household is overtaxed; if so, does he rule out announcing tax cuts before the next election?

8. Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY to the Minister for Trade Negotiations: What recent successful resolutions have there been regarding trade disputes?

9. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Prime Minister: Why has she decided that no new appointments will be made to Cabinet following the resignation of John Tamihere from his Ministerial portfolios?

10. LYNNE PILLAY to the Minister of Education: What reports has he received on the value of school reporting requirements introduced in the Education Standards Act 2001?

11. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Health: Is she prepared to give a guarantee to New Zealanders that her policy with respect to pharmacies will not put New Zealanders' lives at risk; if not, why not?

12. TARIANA TURIA to the Prime Minister: What guarantees can she give to New Zealanders that the process proposed for a constitutional inquiry will be conducted with integrity?

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>>