Questions to Ministers

1. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Associate Minister of Education: Why has he proposed exempting charter schools from the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982, something that the Ombudsmen have described as being "catastrophic"?

2. JOHN HAYES to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on wage increases in New Zealand?

3. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement that "I would go back to the most rigorous form of measuring employment in the economy and in relation to the manufacturing sector. That is the household labour force survey"; if so, what was the net change in persons employed in manufacturing in the HLFS in the year to December 2012?

4. JAN LOGIE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement in regard to the Australian Government's detention centres for asylum seekers that "the camps would be at the world standard we would expect from a developed economy like Australia"?

5. SCOTT SIMPSON to the Minister of Conservation: What progress is the Department of Conservation making, in partnership with the New Zealand Cycle Trail, to deliver the network of Great Rides as initiated by the Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key?

6. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Does he have confidence that the Government's asset sale programme is on track; if so, why?

7. KATRINA SHANKS to the Minister for Courts: What progress was made in 2012 in recovering court fines and reparations?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Did any of the reports referred to in his response to Question for Written Answer 09873 (2012) include the governance and financial position of the Richina Pacific group of companies?

9. Hon MARYAN STREET to the Minister of Health: What reports, if any, has he received on the impact of increasing prescription charges?

10. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Veterans' Affairs: What progress has been made towards planning for the Centenary Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli?

11. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: Does she agree with Chorus's assertion that the Commerce Commission's draft decision on pricing for unbundled bitstream access (UBA) services could reduce annual earnings by up to $160 million?

12. JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Finance: Would he support Budget 2013 including funding for Vote Parliamentary Service to ensure that parliamentary cleaners and other support staff are paid a living wage of at least $18.40 an hour?

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"Unlawful, Unjustified And Unreasonable": Report Into Urewera Raids Finds Police Acted Unlawfully

Independent Police Conduct Authority Chair Judge Sir David Carruthers said today that the decision by the then Commissioner of Police to undertake the operation in Ruatoki Valley and elsewhere on 15 October 2007 was reasonable and justified.

“However, the road blocks established by Police at Ruatoki and Taneatua were unlawful, unjustified and unreasonable... Police had no legal basis for stopping and searching vehicles or photographing drivers or passengers,” he said...

The report also showed that the detention of the occupants at five properties examined by the Authority was unlawful and unreasonable. More>>