Thursday, 10 April 2003
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER
QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

1. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister for Food Safety: Did New Zealand support mandatory country of origin labelling for food at this week’s Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council meeting, and will she be implementing this policy direction in New Zealand?

2. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: Will she retract and apologise for her comments about the United States and the war in Iraq; if not, why not?

3. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What is the Government doing to ensure the tertiary education system can meet the needs of the medical workforce?

4. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: With respect to her answer to question number 10 on Tuesday 8 April, expressing her confidence in the Minister of Immigration, what enquiries, if any, had she personally made regarding New Zealand Immigration Service activities abroad over the last three years, before she gave her answer?

5. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology: How much does the Government invest through the New Zealand Economy Research Fund and how has the level of this investment changed in recent years?

6. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: Did she or her Government receive a message from the New Zealand Ambassador to Washington that a two-pronged strategy was necessary to repair the damage caused by her comments about the war in Iraq; if so, what were the two prongs of the strategy?

7. GORDON COPELAND to the Minister of Energy: Does he agree that although New Zealand has enough back-up generation capacity at its thermal power stations to meet electricity demand this winter, the depletion of Maui means there may not be enough fuel available to run them?

8. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE to the Prime Minister: What advice, if any, did she take before stating it was “bleedingly obvious” that the war in Iraq was not going to plan, and does she still hold this view?

9. GEORGINA BEYER to the Minister for Information Technology: What reports has he received on the potential of the information and communications technology sector to assist with New Zealand’s economic growth?

10. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister for Trade Negotiations: What does the United States Trade Policy Agenda for 2003 say about the possibility of a free trade agreement with New Zealand, and when does he expect such an agreement to be negotiated?

11. DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Land Information: What action is the Government taking to ensure that the Alexandra Holiday Park will continue to be a camping ground?

12. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Education: Why does he describe the results of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study released yesterday as “very pleasing” when New Zealand primary schools are ranked second worst at reading among English speaking countries and fall behind the Czech Republic, Hungary and Lithuania?

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