Questions for Oral Answer - 24 Nov 2009

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comment that Treasury estimates that the Government’s emissions trading scheme could cost taxpayers $110 billion are “nonsense”; if so, what is a more accurate estimate?

2. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he agree with Dr Rhys Jones of Ngāti Kahungunu, a senior lecturer at Auckland University, who stated yesterday that the proposed emissions trading scheme will “do nothing to incentivise reductions in emissions, but will instead give powerful and vocal corporate emitters a licence to threaten the future for our tamariki and mokopuna.”; if not, why not?

3. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What reports has he received in respect of the amended emissions trading scheme?

4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by all her statements on youth unemployment?

5. KATRINA SHANKS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the Government doing to help young people into work?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement “advice we disagree with is bad advice; advice we agree with is good advice”?

7. RAHUI KATENE to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he agree with the Māori Party that the revised ETS has a focus on whenua, and increasing environmental sustainability; and how will the intention to provide better protection for the environment be realised?

8. CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he stand by his statement that “I have always said that figures out beyond a decade are very uncertain”?

9. Dr JACKIE BLUE to the Minister of Transport: What progress has been made on improving public transport infrastructure in Auckland?

10. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for ACC: Do any of his Cabinet papers relating to the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Amendment Bill expressly advise Cabinet that the effect of the bill is to restore the right of employees to sue their employer for hearing loss of up to 6 percent; if so, what is the date and title of the Cabinet paper and the paragraph number where that warning is to be found?

11. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by his statement of 20 May 2009, “I would like to be able to issue a new code of welfare for pigs by the end of this year”; and is he confident this will be achieved?

12. JACQUI DEAN to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Why is the Government introducing a new style of passport?

ENDS