QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER
Tuesday, 21 May 2002
Questions to Ministers
1. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: When did she or her staff become aware that there was no Crown Law Office
opinion reportedly clearing her of art fraud, and what actions did she or her staff take when they found out?
2. MARK PECK to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the importance of a skilled workforce for New
Zealand's economic growth?
3. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: Does he have full confidence in Mr Derek Fox and the other directors of
the Maori Television Service in light of the State Services Commissioner's report and the Ernst and Young report; if so,
why?
4. MAHARA OKEROA to the Minister of Social Services and Employment: What reports has he received on time-limited
benefits?
5. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister of Maori Affairs: What level of confidence does he have in the report of the State
Services Commissioner into the engagement process for Millennium People Limited to provide recruitment services to the
Maori Television Service Board, in light of the fact that the State Services Commissioner was unable to verify parts of
the process without access to the Board minutes, and concludes that his investigation was "far from a forensic enquiry
into the situation"?
6. NANDOR TANCZOS to the Minister of Maori Affairs: What action has he taken in response to the Christchurch School of
Medicine's study "Arrests and Convictions for Cannabis Related Offences in a New Zealand Birth Cohort", which states:
"The bias with respect to Maori is of particular concern since it suggests that independently of cannabis use and
previous police record, Maori were more likely to be arrested and convicted for cannabis use than non-Maori."?
7. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Education: What mistakes has the Government made in its handling of the teacher
pay contract talks, noting his statement on radio, "I think we could have handled it quite a lot better."?
8. JUDY KEALL to the Minister of Health: What reports has she received on developing mental health services in line
with the Blueprint for Mental Health Services in New Zealand?
9. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister for Economic Development: Has he any concerns over Sovereign Yachts' plans for the
surplus land at Hobsonville Base that his Ministry facilitated the disposal of, and is he confident that New Zealand
taxpayers have not lost out on this deal?
10. LIZ GORDON to the Minister of Statistics: Are there any Government initiatives designed to improve public access to
official statistics; if so, can she detail these?
11. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Associate Minister of Justice: Further to her answer that "I have full confidence in [the
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2001], because the purpose of the legislation was to maintain proportionality", does
she have full confidence that the Act has fulfilled its stated primary purpose, which was to "Enhance public confidence
in the integrity of the electoral system;"; if so, why?
12. HELEN DUNCAN to the Minister of Education: What are the details of the settlement reached between the Ministry of
Education and the Post-Primary Teachers Association for the secondary teachers' collective agreement?