Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Questions to Ministers
1. MARTIN GALLAGHER to the Minister of Trade: What recent progress has been made towards improving New Zealand's trade
relationship with Japan?
2. JOHN KEY to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in all of her Ministers; if so, why?
3. GORDON COPELAND to the Minister of Finance: Has the Government since November 1999 increased excise duties on tobacco
and alcohol, increased road user charges, and imposed new levies or fees on electricity, gas, telecommunications,
buildings, fire services, passports and car ownership?
4. JOHN KEY to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in the Minister of Finance; if so, why?
5. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues: What reports has he received on how important an
Emissions Trading Scheme is towards making progress on climate change?
6. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement, in relation to the tax cuts he announced
but then cancelled, "The difficulty we've had obviously with the 2005 announcement is that we didn't legislate" and that
"Other priorities took charge after that"?
7. LESLEY SOPER to the Associate Minister Health: What steps has the Government taken to increase protection for women
from the risk of cervical cancer?
8. Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement to the House on Thursday 15
May 2008 that he could not release the Oughton Report because it related to individual employee matters?
9. Hon TARIANA TURIA to the Associate Minister of Justice: Does she agree with Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn
Noonan, that the recent Human Rights Review Tribunal ruling on ACC is "a landmark in human rights law in that it shows
how any New Zealander can challenge legislation they believe to be discriminatory and impacts upon them adversely"; if
so, what action will she be taking with relevant Ministers to advise them of this landmark ruling?
10. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues: Does he stand by his statement in the House
last Thursday that "the emissions trading scheme does not create any cost for the economy"?
11. SUE BRADFORD to the Minister for Racing: Why is the Government putting nine million dollars into high-stakes racing
in this week's Budget, given that in 2006 the racing industry received a tax windfall worth approximately 32 million
dollars a year?
12. JUDITH COLLINS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she still stand by her statement, in
relation to the largest quarterly decline in employment in 19 years, "Ah well, I don't think that this is bad news at
all actually"; if so, why?
ENDS