Questions for Oral Answer
As At Tuesday, 18 July 2006

Questions to Ministers

1. TARIANA TURIA to the Minister of Health: How will the Government address the health disparities outlined in the New Zealand Living Standards 2004 report, which provided evidence that lower living standards increase the risk of poor health and that poor living standards are particularly evident amongst Maori and Pacific communities?

2. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: What specific findings and recommendations, if any, did Dr Noel Ingram QC make in his report to her following his investigation into allegations concerning Taito Phillip Field, and what actions does she intend to take as a consequence?

3. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER to the Minister of Police: What reports has she received supportive of the Government's stated aim of increasing frontline police by 1,000 over the next three years?

4. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Maori Affairs: Does he stand by his statement in the House on 25 May 2006 that "this Government has achieved great things, like a 70 percent decline in poverty - 30 percent of that being Maori poverty"?

5. MARYAN STREET to the Minister of Health: What reports has he received on the success of the 1 July roll-out of affordable primary health care to 45-64 year olds?

6. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Education: What proportion of NCEA internal assessments moderated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority in 2005 were found to be faulty?

7. Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Corrections: Does he consider a reimprisonment rate of 37 percent after 24 months a satisfactory outcome, with each prisoner costing the New Zealand taxpayer almost $77,000 each year; if not, what is this Government doing to lower it?

8. JUDITH COLLINS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Why did levels of severe hardship rise between 2000 and 2004, as reported by the Ministry of Social Development?

9. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister for Disability Issues: What reports, if any, has she received on fundraising in the disabilities sector?

10. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Energy: Does he agree with the Connell Wagner report's findings that major 220kV lines were strung above other circuits in a manner not "in keeping with current practice, especially at such an important node", that the failed earthwires were not bonded in accordance with Transpower's own "current standard practice", and that "Transpower's routine inspection and maintenance regime failed to detect and replace seriously deteriorated hardware" that would "have been clearly visible for many years" with "at least a reasonable inference open that the inspection was not carried out"?

11. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he agree with Bob Geldof that our low aid level is "the great shame of New Zealand" and that "the spirit of the electorate" is "not being made manifest by the pathetic 0.27 percent this Government gives to the poorest people on the planet?"

12. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Health: How much debt is currently owed by foreign nationals to district health boards, and how much of this debt has been written off in the past twelve months?

ENDS

© Scoop Media