Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 28 August 2003
Questions to Ministers
1. MARC ALEXANDER to the Minister of Justice: Is he satisfied that the Sentencing Act 2002 and the Parole Act 2002 are
working in the best interests of the victims of crime and the safety of the community as a whole?
2. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Prime Minister: Why didn't the Prime Minister and her officials ensure that all documents,
including memoranda from her department, relating to GM-contaminated corn were disclosed to the public of New Zealand
during the 2002 election campaign?
3. RON MARK to the Minister of Defence: Is he confident that the Army's new light-armoured vehicles have the capability
to carry out defence operations in the South Pacific?
4. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister for Environment: In what ways has the Government honoured Labour's 1999 election
policy that they would "ensure that agencies with responsibility for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) including GM
foods, are accountable and involve the public in decision-making processes"?
5. CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Finance: What recent economic data has he received and what do they show about
the state of the economy?
6. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to the Minister of Maori Affairs: What Government decisions and other major steps remain to be
taken for the Maori Television Service to commence transmission and what is the projected on-air date?
7. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of Maori Affairs: On what date did Te Mangai Paho's former Chief Executive, Mr Trevor
Moeke, discover that Mr Tame Te Rangi had received cash from Maori Sports Casting International, and who were the
officials responsible for advising him on his reply to Question for Written Answer Number 257 provided on 24 February
where he stated, "I am advised by my officials that there have been no payments of cash by Maori Sports Casting
International to any employees of Te Mangai Paho."?
8. HELEN DUNCAN to the Minister of Education: What initiatives are being introduced to improve teacher responsiveness to
students' reading and writing difficulties at primary school level?
9. PETER BROWN to the Minister of Transport: What law changes, if any, are being considered to ease the cost of renewing
driving licences for drivers 80 years and over?
10. DAVID BENSON-POPE to the Minister of Fisheries: What is the Government doing to protect seabirds from incidental
catch by fishing vessels?
11. SUE KEDGLEY to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in the Minister for Food Safety in light of the
Minister's inability in this House yesterday to name the food products that tested positive for contamination by
genetically engineered ingredients in the recent New Zealand Food Safety Authority report on food produced using gene
technology; if so, why?
12. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Deputy Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement regarding the mayor of Marlborough that
"If the Marlborough Regional (sic) Council had talked properly in the first place to the iwi with interests, if they had
not had a racist as a mayor ... if there had been proper talking to at the local authority level in Marlborough, it is
very doubtful this issue would ever have arisen in the way that it has."; if so, why does he believe that Mr Harrison is
a racist?