Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Question Time

Response to John Key's Statement to Parliament by Phil Goff (duration: 20′42″)

Phil Goff replies to John Key's address to Parliament.

Statement to Parliament - Hon. John key (duration: 19′44″)

John Key's opening speech for the year.

Question time for 16 December 2009 (duration: 52′54″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his answers yesterday in the House about protecting families from the recession?

2. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister of Finance: What steps has the Government taken to manage the economy in 2009?

3. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Did he say at the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update lockup yesterday that while the Government does not plan privatisation in this term of Parliament, it recognises various assets as not well managed or struggling to keep up with the pace; and did he single out four entities in this context?

4. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Education: What reports has she received about the teaching of reading and writing in years 1 and 2 at primary school?

5. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comment “this Government is not prepared to turn its back on our most vulnerable citizens”?

6. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with his Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues that it is “extremist” for small developing countries like Tuvalu to push for a legally binding agreement from the Copenhagen climate conference?

7. MOANA MACKEY to the Minister of Housing: What new affordable housing initiatives has he implemented since becoming Minister?

8. PAUL QUINN to the Minister of Transport: What reports has he received on yesterday’s announcement of a strategic plan for the State Highway 1 Wellington to Levin corridor?

9. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister for ACC: What is the basis for the changes in the treatment of using holiday pay towards the costs of being injured at work in the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Amendment Bill?

10. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Commerce: What priority will the Government give to responding to the recommendations of the Capital Markets Development Taskforce?

11. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Has he received my invitation dated 14 December to accompany me, after Parliament rises, on the Gillespie Pass tramping circuit in the north-eastern parts of the Mount Aspiring National Park, so that he can inspect first-hand areas in the conservation estate included in his stock-take of mineral resources, and will he accept it?

12. COLIN KING to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps has the Government recently made to progress agricultural greenhouse gas research?

Question time for 15 December 2009 (duration: 53′18″)

Questions will be posted shortly

Question time for 10 December 2009 (duration: 1h 17′16″)

Questions to ministers

1. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comment “this Government is not prepared to turn its back on our most vulnerable citizens”?

2. PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What were the main findings of the Ministerial Review into the electricity market?

3. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all his recent statements?

4. TE URUROA FLAVELL to the Minister of Education: Kei te tautoko a ia i tā Ngā Kura-ā-Iwi o Aotearoa kōrero e pā ana ki ngā mānukanuka mō ngā whakamātautau Reo Māori “E hē ana te pūnaha takirua e hoatu nei i te mana ōrite ki te ākonga whai reo Māori, ahakoa ko tōna reo taketake, ko tōna reo tuarua rānei tana reo Māori”; arā ka aha ia ki te whakatika i tēnei “hē kino”? * Translation: Does she agree with Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa’s concerns about te reo Māori exams that “A double standard prevails, one for te reo Māori pathway pupils for whom English is their first language and another for te reo rangatira pathway pupils for whom Māori is their first language” and what actions will she take to correct what they suggest is a “horrendous wrong”?

5. MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister for ACC: How much has it been necessary to increase ACC levies and how do these compare to those recommended by the ACC Board?

6. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Attorney-General: Will the threshold tests for the establishment of customary interest in the foreshore or seabed be altered from those which currently apply under the current Foreshore and Seabed Act; if so, will those new thresholds be defined in statute or left to the Courts?

7. Dr CAM CALDER to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What progress has been made on the Government’s summer school holiday programmes?

8. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Prime Minister: Which specific countries was he referring to in the House yesterday when he said in response to my question, “countries that will find it easier than us” should do better than 40 percent in order to offset New Zealand’s “failure to act” on climate change?

9. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister of Education: When she named Professor John Hattie yesterday as an academic who supported both national standards and the Government’s implementation methods did she take into account the views he expressed to her with other academics in their letter of 25 November 2009?

10. LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister of Education: When will parents receive plain English reports against the National Standards and why?

11. Hon LIANNE DALZIEL to the Minister of Justice: Does he have any evidence to support the hearsay reported by Dame Margaret Bazley in her final report on the Legal Aid Review that “up to 80 percent of the lawyers practising in the Manukau District Court could be gaming the system”; if not, will he apologise for any damage to their reputations this has caused?

12. MELISSA LEE to the Minister of Corrections: What advice has she received recently about the work that is under way to expand employment opportunities and training for prisoners?

Question time for 9 December 2009 (duration: 1h 3′49″)

Questions to Ministers

1. AARON GILMORE to the Minister of Finance: What fiscal challenges does the Government face as the economy comes out of recession?

2. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his recent statements on unemployment?

3. JEANETTE FITZSIMONS to the Prime Minister: Is he open to increasing New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target when he is in Copenhagen next week, in light of new evidence that even if the most ambitious targets countries have put forward are met, the global average temperature will still rise by 3.5 degrees this century, making large parts of the world uninhabitable?

4. Hon JIM ANDERTON to the Minister of Agriculture: How much funding has been paid out to research and innovation projects in the primary sector through the Primary Growth Partnership since the formation of the National-led Government in November last year?

5. KATRINA SHANKS to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What is the Government doing to improve the performance of the electricity market?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement “advice we disagree with is bad advice; advice we agree with is good advice”?

7. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What objectives does New Zealand have at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, and what is the latest advice on the prospect of these being achieved?

8. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services: Were the capital and running costs of the self-drive car used by Hon Bill English in the first six months of this Government properly appropriated under the Public Finance Act 1989; if so, will he table official advice, if any, to that effect?

9. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister of Police: Have any recent steps been taken to protect New Zealand communities from the dangerous behaviour of boy racers?

10. Hon MARYAN STREET to the Minister for Tertiary Education: What advice has she received about the numbers of redundancies of Adult and Community Education Coordinators in high schools which are occurring right now?

11. ALLAN PEACHEY to the Minister of Education: When will National Standards be introduced into English-medium schools for years 1-8, and why?

12. PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Local Government: What did Cabinet decide in response to his recommendation that the provisions of the Local Government Auckland Amendment Act 2004 protecting the Ports of Auckland shares from disposal be repealed?

Question Time for 8 December 2009 (duration: 48′34″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his reported statement on the Brash 2025 Taskforce report that “its core recommendations were too radical to implement”; if so, why does he intend to pay the taskforce another $327,000?

2. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the New Zealand economy?

3. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements on unemployment?

4. DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Transport: What steps has he taken to reduce compliance costs for road transport operators?

5. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all his statements regarding the New Zealand Superannuation Fund?

6. RAHUI KATENE to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does he agree with the Community Energy Action charitable trust, that a household is living in fuel poverty when essential energy services such as heating and hot water are unaffordable to the residents, and what actions has he taken to address fuel poverty, particularly for low-income New Zealanders?

7. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Police: Is she satisfied that the Police have sufficient plans in place to cope with the extra duties and stresses created in the run-up to Christmas?

8. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What reports has he received about gas field developments in New Zealand?

9. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement to Federated Farmers that “regardless of your view about the environment or climate change, the opinions of your consumers will ultimately decide how well your products sell”; if so, does he share Fonterra’s reported concern that factory farms could tarnish New Zealand’s reputation for free-range dairy products?

10. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Attorney-General: Does he agree with the recommendation of the independent ministerial review panel that if the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 is repealed then “Reasonable public access should be defined and provided for by statute”?

11. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has the Government made to get schools ready for ultra-fast broadband?

12. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services: Has Hon Bill English received a self-drive car; if so, what requirements, if any, are placed on where such cars should be located?

Question time for Thursday 26 November 2009 (duration: 1h 18′09″)

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Questions to Ministers

1. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Will the passing yesterday of the Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill result in New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions going up or down between now and 2050 compared to the original emissions trading scheme passed in 2008?

2. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by all her statements?

3. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made about information and communication technologies professional development in schools?

4. CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Prime Minister: Why is he not going to the Copenhagen Conference like most other world leaders are?

5. DAVID GARRETT to the Minister of Justice: How much, if anything, did the taxpayer pay in legal aid for Graeme Burton to defend the recent charge of attempted murder, for which he was found guilty?

6. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that “In order for that recovery to be sustainable we need improved competitiveness among our exporters and continued recovery in household savings”?

7. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What action is the Government taking to increase oil and gas exploration in New Zealand?

8. Hon SHANE JONES to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What are the financial benefits from the changes to the emissions trading scheme for Māori families after 2013?

9. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister for Biosecurity: What steps has the Government recently taken to protect New Zealand’s kauri forests?

10. KEVIN HAGUE to the Minister for ACC: Does he stand by all his statements in the House on ACC?

11. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: What advice, if any, has she received on the reason that thousands of workers all around New Zealand will be taking industrial action and attending rallies tomorrow?

12. KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What is the Government doing to make government data more easily accessible to New Zealanders?

Question time for 25 November 2009 (duration: 59′34″)

Questions to ministers

1. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: Does he still stand by his policy to deliver better, sooner, and more convenient health care?

2. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister of Corrections: Does she have confidence in the Department of Corrections?

3. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How many houses were insulated in October through the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme?

4. Hon MARYAN STREET to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Does she stand by all the decisions she has made as the Minister for Tertiary Education; if not, why not?

5. ALLAN PEACHEY to the Minister for Tertiary Education: What progress has been made on the Government’s summer research scholarships?

6. Hon DARREN HUGHES to the Minister of Transport: What weight is being given to the views of the communities affected by the transport proposals through Kapiti?

7. METIRIA TUREI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with the authors of the Children’s Social Health Monitor baseline report, launched today, that New Zealand’s current benefit provisions are unlikely “to protect a large proportion of our children from severe or significant hardship”?

8. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for ACC: Does he think it is fair that his Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Bill will determine the threshold for entitlements to hearing aids rather than clinical need?

9. HEKIA PARATA to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the Government doing to prevent violence within families and whanau?

10. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister of Education: Was she correctly reported this morning as indicating flaws in her proposed national standards are being addressed; if so, what is the process she is using to address those flaws?

11. Hon TAU HENARE to the Minister of Immigration: What announcements has the Government made on the introduction of the Silver Fern Visa?

12. Hon LIANNE DALZIEL to the Minister of Education: Why did she not ensure that the Aorangi School Board was given time to inform teachers and parents of the confirmation of her decision to close the school before the announcement was made public?

Question time for Tuesday 24 November 2009 (duration: 1h 15′47″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comment that Treasury estimates that the Government’s emissions trading scheme could cost taxpayers $110 billion are “nonsense”; if so, what is a more accurate estimate?

2. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he agree with Dr Rhys Jones of Ngāti Kahungunu, a senior lecturer at Auckland University, who stated yesterday that the proposed emissions trading scheme will “do nothing to incentivise reductions in emissions, but will instead give powerful and vocal corporate emitters a licence to threaten the future for our tamariki and mokopuna.”; if not, why not?

3. CRAIG FOSS to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What reports has he received in respect of the amended emissions trading scheme?

4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by all her statements on youth unemployment?

5. KATRINA SHANKS to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the Government doing to help young people into work?

6. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement “advice we disagree with is bad advice; advice we agree with is good advice”?

7. RAHUI KATENE to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he agree with the Māori Party that the revised ETS has a focus on whenua, and increasing environmental sustainability; and how will the intention to provide better protection for the environment be realised?

8. CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he stand by his statement that “I have always said that figures out beyond a decade are very uncertain”?

9. Dr JACKIE BLUE to the Minister of Transport: What progress has been made on improving public transport infrastructure in Auckland?

10. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for ACC: Do any of his Cabinet papers relating to the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Amendment Bill expressly advise Cabinet that the effect of the bill is to restore the right of employees to sue their employer for hearing loss of up to 6 percent; if so, what is the date and title of the Cabinet paper and the paragraph number where that warning is to be found?

11. SUE KEDGLEY to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by his statement of 20 May 2009, “I would like to be able to issue a new code of welfare for pigs by the end of this year”; and is he confident this will be achieved?

12. JACQUI DEAN to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Why is the Government introducing a new style of passport?

Question Time for 19 November 2009 (duration: 1h 1′33″)

Questions to ministers

1. RĀHUI KĀTENE to the Associate Minister Health: What value of productivity is lost to the economy as a result of the misuse of alcohol and what strategies does the Government have to address this issue?

2. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she believe that the Government’s package to address unemployment has done enough to give youth a firm footing in the labour market?

3. PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the economy in National’s first year in Government?

4. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister’s views on economic policy?

5. HEKIA PARATA to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What work is currently underway to address New Zealand’s high rates of child abuse and neglect?

6. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Health: Is he confident the health sector can deliver on his expectations?

7. Dr JACKIE BLUE to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: How many private partners have indicated their interest in participating in the Government’s $1.5 billion ultra-fast broadband investment initiative?

8. CAROL BEAUMONT to the Minister of Consumer Affairs: Does she agree with Consumer New Zealand chief executive Sue Chetwin that all consumers can do about rising food prices is “shop around”?

9. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Is it Government policy that no Minister will officially meet with the Dalai Lama when he visits next month; if so, why?

10. TIM MACINDOE to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What progress has there been for the Job Ops and Community Max programmes?

11. JOHN BOSCAWEN to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: On what date will he be releasing the proposed deal from the Iwi Leadership Group and on what date does he expect to have concluded a deal?

12. Hon PETE HODGSON to the Minister of Immigration: Why has immigration policy been changed so that the child of a person legally in New Zealand on a work permit under the essential skills policy will not be able to freely attend school if his or her parent or parents earn under $33,675?

Question Time for 18 November 2009 (duration: 1h 12′21″)

Questions to Ministers

1. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his recent statements on the Emissions Trading Scheme?

2. AARON GILMORE to the Minister of Finance: What fiscal challenges does the Government face as the economy comes out of recession?

3. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What definition, if any, did her Associate Minister Hon Tariana Turia provide to her to explain the purpose and intended outcomes of the Whanau Ora programme?

4. LOUISE UPSTON to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has the Government made about school property?

5. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: Has he received any recent advice on the appropriate boundaries of his role as shareholding Minister in Television New Zealand?

6. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister of Transport: What progress has the Government made on progressing the Victoria Park Road of National Significance?

7. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for ACC: Does he stand by his statement “the scale of the increases proposed by the Accident Compensation Corporation board will not need to be advanced”?

8. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Energy and Resources: How much did the Crown receive in royalty and taxation payments from petroleum production 2008/09?

9. CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does he stand by his reported comments that he cannot put a figure on the cost to taxpayers for his proposed deal with the Māori Party to secure support for the ETS?

10. DAVID CLENDON to the Minister of Tourism: What advice, if any, has he sought regarding the impact on New Zealand’s tourism industry of last week’s UK Guardian article which says that our: “green image increasingly defies reality”?

11. SU'A WILLIAM SIO to the Minister of Education: Is she prepared to back up her support for literacy programmes by funding the expansion of the Manukau Family Literacy Programme, a programme that PricewaterhouseCoopers says has already boosted the income of participating families by an average of $200 per week?

12. SANDRA GOUDIE to the Minister of Corrections: Has she received any progress reports on the recruitment of additional Probation Officers following a $255 million funding boost in the Budget?