Today's questions for oral answer from the Office of the Clerk, the first of the New Parliament and probably last of the year...

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER
Wednesday, 22 December 1999

Questions to Ministers

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1. Rt Hon. Jenny Shipley to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Associate Minister of Commerce in her view,reported in the Dominion of 16 December 1999, that ``NewZealand's independence and sovereignty were at stake unless the Governmentwashed its hands of the `monetarist experiment'''?

2. Jill Pettis to the Prime Minister: What action has the Government taken to implement the policy programe outlined to the electorate by the coalition partners prior to the election?

3. Hon. Richard Prebble to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Auckland Issues: What does she believe her ministerial responsibilities are, and what, if anything, does she expect to achieve in her portfolio?

4. Liz Gordon to the Minister of Youth Affairs: What advice has she received regarding the human rights implications of age-based minimun wage rates?

5. Gerry Brownlee to the Minister for State-Owned Enterprises: What does the briefing paper to him from @Work Insurance say about claims incidence rates in the last six months, and has he informed the Minister for Accident Insurance accordingly?

6. Mark Peck to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on problems with costs of computing systems in Government departments?

7. Belinda Vernon to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: Does he stand by his statement in the Press of 20 December 1999, regarding whether he had confidence in the Chief Executive of Work and Income New Zealand, ``I can't right now. We've made that clear ... We don't have confidence.''?

8. Rod Donald to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What measures is the Government putting in place to assist tertiary students who are unemployed over their summer holiday period and who are not eligible for the community wage for students?

9. Dr Wayne Mapp to the Minister of Defence: What procedure was used to appoint Hon Derek Quigley to undertake the review of the contract to lease F-16 jet fighters, including the date when Mr Quigley was first approached through to the decision being made to appoint him?

10. Hon. Brian Donnelly to the Minister of Health: Has she received any reports on the appropriateness of the mental health care provided for the perpetrator of the recent incident in Rawene in which three innocent victims, including two young children, were murdered?

11. John Luxton to the Minister for Industry and Regional Development: How many of the 1,000 new job opportunities he identified at the end of November in the possum industry have been created and filled as part of his industry policies since he reportedly made it clear that he and his caucus had hit the ground running at that time?

12. Dianne Yates to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): Does the Government consider cost a barrier to students undertaking tertiary education; if so, what action is he taking to address this?

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>