Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 4 December 2003

Questions to Ministers

1. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Education: What steps have been taken to ensure that schools have ready access to reliable anti-virus software?

2. KATHERINE RICH to the Associate Minister of Revenue: What message does the Government's announcement that it will wipe part of the child support debt owed by errant parents on a "dollar for dollar" basis send to struggling solo mothers and their kids who rely on child support payments?

3. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Associate Minister of Health: Has he been advised of any compliance cost implications from the passage of the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill?

4. DEBORAH CODDINGTON to the Minister of Education: Is he on track for closing about 300 schools as reported in the Sunday Star-Times on 2 November 2003, and how many have been closed this year?

5. DARREN HUGHES to the Minister of Defence: Has he received any recent updates on current New Zealand Defence Force deployments offshore?

6. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of Health: How does she explain Mr Ian Breeze performing surgery on Mr Barry Baker at Norfolk Hospital on 6 December 2000, and operating on Mr Baker again at Tauranga Hospital on 10 and 14 December 2000, given that in her answer to question three yesterday she stated that restrictions were placed on Mr Breeze on 29 August 2000?

7. DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Conservation: What progress has been made in providing environmentally sensitive tourism opportunities on conservation lands?

8. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister of Finance: What is the total amount collected annually by central Government from all taxes, duties, licence fees and levies for the purposes of road construction, maintenance and road safety?

9. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister for the Environment: Does she stand by her reported statement that the Resource Management Act 1991 is a "beautifully written, beautifully balanced piece of legislation"; if so, why is special legislation required for Government-owned Meridian Energy Limited's Project Aqua to proceed?

10. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister of Statistics: What is Statistics New Zealand doing to raise awareness and extend the use of official statistics in Maori communities?

11. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Health: Has the Government made a decision to include the regulation of complementary medicines and dietary supplements in the proposed trans-Tasman therapeutic products agency, and when does it expect to sign a bilateral treaty between the Australian and New Zealand Governments establishing the agency?

12. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Transport: Has he considered introducing demerit points on speed camera tickets; if so, what recommendations, if any, is he proposing to his Cabinet colleagues on this matter?

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The Government's Assault On Maori

This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Audrey Young in the NZ Herald has compiled a useful list of the many ways Christopher Luxon plans to roll back the progress made in race relations over the past forty years. He has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. More