Questions For Oral Answer - Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Questions to Ministers
1. LESLEY SOPER to the Minister of Health: What recent reports, if any, has he received on the cost of accessing
healthcare?
2. JOHN KEY to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by her statement in July regarding the Rt Hon Winston Peters: “I’ve
made it clear all the way through this round of allegations that I accept an honourable member’s word as his bond unless
I have reason to doubt it.”, and does she consider, in the light of Owen Glenn’s statement to the Privileges Committee
yesterday, that she now has a reason to doubt the word of Mr Peters?
3. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Health: Why has the Government not provided alternative medication for the more than
800 New Zealanders who have reported adverse reactions to a new formulation of the thyroid drug Eltroxin to the Centre
for Adverse Reactions Monitoring?
4. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of Finance: What is Treasury’s best estimate of how much is available for new
spending in Budget 2009 after pre-commitments and future charges against it are deducted from the allowances signalled
in the 2008 Budget?
5. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the Government doing to ensure
that the voices of families are heard in New Zealand?
6. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his recent statement that accident and emergency
department performance is “pleasing” in light of the reported crisis situation in many of the country’s emergency
departments?
7. BARBARA STEWART to the Minister of Health: Is he aware that public hospital bed numbers have declined from 2.48 per
1000 people in 1988 to 1.56 in 2006 although our population has increased significantly in that time, and what is being
done to solve the problems arising from this decline?
8. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Conservation: Does she support the rebranding project for the Department of
Conservation to contract an agency as per the request for proposal that sets out the key elements of the project as a
brand audit, research review, brand strategy, brand communication strategy and an implementation plan?
9. Dr PITA SHARPLES to the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: Is it Government policy not to include
Treaty clauses in bills other than Treaty-related legislation; if so, why?
10. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister of State Services: Does he stand by his statement of 29 July 2008, in relation to
the convention that significant government appointments are deferred in the three months prior to a general election,
that “the Government has adhered, and always will adhere, to that convention”; if not, why not?
11. LYNNE PILLAY to the Minister of Housing: What recent reports, if any, has she received on housing policy?
12. ANNE TOLLEY to the Minister of Education: Why did he state yesterday that he disagreed with the Post Primary
Teachers Association’s views that the numeracy requirements at Level 1 reflect “a very low level of achievement”, and
that they are not “likely to match the community’s expectation of numeracy at year 11”?
ENDS