QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

1. JOHN HAYES to the Minister of Finance: What steps is the Government taking to address the long-standing problem of housing affordability in New Zealand?

2. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that the Household Labour Force Survey shows that “over the last four years, the number of jobs in manufacturing is roughly about the same”, given that the survey shows employment in manufacturing has declined by 31,600 in the four years to September 2012?

3. DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “Yes, there is a housing issue in New Zealand”?

4. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for Whānau Ora: Is the Whānau Integration, Innovation and Engagement Fund open to individuals who do not have New Zealand citizenship or residency; if so, how many non-residents have received grants from the Fund since 2010?

5. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he accept the findings of the most recent Household Labour Force Survey that show the unemployment rate at its highest level in 13 years; if not, why not?

6. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of State Services: What recent announcements has the Government made regarding public service office accommodation in Wellington?

7. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What projections, if any, have been done on the impact of his amendments to the Emissions Trading Scheme on forestry?

8. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister of Housing: Does he agree with all of the Prime Minister’s statements on housing?

9. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Transport: What factors led to the Government announcement last Wednesday to proceed with the construction of the Transmission Gully Highway as a public-private partnership?

10. CHRIS HIPKINS to the Associate Minister of Education: Was he aware, before he signed off on the decision for Novopay to go live, that the Ministry of Education’s survey of trial Novopay users found only 37 percent of them believed they were ready for its introduction; if not, why not?

11. MELISSA LEE to the Minister of Veterans' Affairs: What is the Government doing to help veterans attend significant commemorations of their service?

12. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Prime Minister: Was the subject of Kim Dotcom raised in his recent discussion with US President Barack Obama; if so, by whom?

ENDS

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Metservice: Where Will Snow Fall And What To Look Out For

The deep Antarctic air that is expected to sweep across the country this week is bringing very significant weather to many provinces.Here's the official MetService view of the key weather concerns for the country.

MetService Media and Communications Meteorologist Dan Corbett commented,"While snow will be a major issue for those in the South Island, wind and hail will affect many North Island districts."

Snow is expected to fall to sea level, or very near it, from Southland to South Canterbury from late Wednesday into Thursday and Friday. The snow level is expected to rise to 200m from about Christchurch northwards... More>>