Questions For Oral Answer - Wednesday, 14 February 2007

Questions to Ministers

1. JOHN KEY to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by the statement in the Speech from the Throne in 1999 that her Government would “restore public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process”?

2. SHANE JONES to the Minister of Finance: What reports, if any, has he received on the success of the Government’s Working for Families tax credit programme?

3. JOHN KEY to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by the statement she made yesterday that “More than any other developed nation, New Zealand needs to go the extra mile to lower greenhouse gas emissions and increase sustainability.”?

4. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister of Education: What increases have there been to school funding since 1999?

5. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: What is his position on the mortgage levy today and how does this compare to his position last Thursday?

6. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement yesterday that “New Zealand can aim to be the first nation to be truly sustainable – across the four pillars of the economy, society, the environment, and nationhood”; if so, is she confident that the investments of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund are consistent with this goal?

7. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister of Immigration: How long after his 23 June 2005 letter to Taito Phillip Field detailing his decision to issue a special direction for a work visa for Sunan Siriwan did the former Associate Minister of Immigration, Hon Damien O’Connor, become aware that Mr Siriwan was allegedly working for Taito Phillip Field and staying at his house in Samoa, given the Minister’s statement to the Ingram Inquiry that he would have “absolutely rejected” Mr Field’s advocacy for Mr Siriwan to be granted a two year work permit if he had been aware of that?

8. SIMON POWER to the Minister of Corrections: Does he have confidence in his department; if so, why?

9. BARBARA STEWART to the Minister of Health: Is he satisfied with the way Pharmac is handling applications from those requiring treatment with Herceptin; if so, why?

10. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister of Education: Does he have full confidence in the Ministry of Education, the Education Review Office and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s involvement with Waverley High School since 2002; if not, why not?

11. SUE MORONEY to the Minister of Health: What reports has he received on the quality of New Zealand’s drinking water?

Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues: Does he agree with the statement by Roger Dickie of the Kyoto Forestry Association, following the release of the Government’s draft land use strategy last December, that “Imposing massive retrospective taxes on the one industry capable of sequestering carbon is sheer idiocy?”

ENDS

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