QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

1. DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the economy?

2. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Westpac economist Nathan Penny that the increase in the annual current account deficit to $10.5 billion, 5 percent of GDP, is a “worrying symptom of New Zealand’s two-speed economy and re-emerging imbalances”; if not, why not?

3. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of Labour: What action is the Government taking to improve work opportunities for young people?

4. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Does he stand by all statements he and his Ministerial colleagues have made regarding State-owned enterprises?

5. DENIS O'ROURKE to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statements made in Question Time on 12 March 2013?

6. JULIE ANNE GENTER to the Minister of Transport: Has he read the City Centre Future Access Study which found that, of the options for Auckland CBD’s transport infrastructure, the City Rail Link “has the highest road network speeds within the City Centre”?

7. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister for Economic Development: What contribution, if any, will the ICT sector make to the Government’s stated 2011 Budget commitment to 170,000 net new jobs being created by 2015?

8. Dr JIAN YANG to the Minister of Tourism: What is Tourism New Zealand doing to promote New Zealand as the first Hobbit movie is released on DVD?

9. Dr RAJEN PRASAD to the Minister for Social Development: Is she satisfied with the spending decisions made by the Families Commission in the last three financial years?

10. MIKE SABIN to the Minister for ACC: What is ACC doing to ensure that frontline staff are adequately trained to provide excellent customer service?

11. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Minister of Defence: Will he rule out “systemic health and safety issues throughout the Defence Force” being a cause of Defence Force fatalities, in light of revelations surrounding the non-combat deaths of Defence personnel over the last three years; if not, why not?

12. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers?

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>