Questions for Oral Answer - As At Tuesday, 20 June 2006

Questions to Ministers

1. RON MARK to the Minister of Police: Do the police hire private security firms for the purpose of monitoring potentially suicidal inmates being held in police cells; if so, under what circumstances are they used for this purpose?

2. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Does he agree with the Minister of Energy's statement on National Radio that "We're spending five times as much on capital works in the transmission area as was being spent a few years ago, five times as much every year", and does he agree with the statement of the Prime Minister in the House that "under the current Government, Transpower has been investing, on average, around $300 million per annum in its system."?

3. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister of Education: How are New Zealand schools accountable to their local communities?

4. JUDITH COLLINS to the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF): What reviews, if any, has Child, Youth and Family Services conducted into the infant homicide rate in New Zealand?

5. TARIANA TURIA to the Minister of Health: Have instructions been issued to the Ministry of Health to prepare amending legislation to remove references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi from the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000; if so, why?

6. JOHN CARTER to the Minister of Civil Defence: What did he mean when he reportedly admitted today that New Zealand is not as prepared for an emergency as previously thought?

7. MARYAN STREET to the Minister of Health: What has the uptake of the meningococcal B immunisation programme been amongst the Maori population and what impact has that had on cases?

8. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Health: What reports, if any, has he received on the impact on patients of being removed from waiting lists for elective surgery or specialist appointments?

9. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What reports has he received on the number of people receiving the unemployment benefit?

10. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Does he stand by his statement regarding what happens when State-owned enterprises fail, that "you've gotta remember with the SOEs that going bust doesn't quite mean what it might mean for some other companies, you know for example if Meridian went bust you'd still have a lot of windmills and a lot of dams, so it's a financial rather than putting all the assets at risk"; if so, why?

11. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Broadcasting: Will the Government commit to a substantial increase in funding for local content, and put in place local content quotas to ensure there is a guaranteed amount of local programming on the proposed 18 new digital channels; if not, why not?

12. CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON to the Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: Is she satisfied with the recent report commissioned by Creative New Zealand into New Zealand's participation at the Venice Biennale; if not, why not?

ENDS

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