Questions for Oral Answer - As At Thursday, 23 February 2006

Questions to Ministers

1. MARYAN STREET to the Minister of Commerce: What progress has been made recently to advance the single economic market agenda between New Zealand and Australia?

2. Dr DON BRASH to the Prime Minister: Does she have confidence in her Ministers of Justice, Corrections and Police; if so, why?

3. Dr PITA SHARPLES to the Minister of Justice: He aha te mahere rautaki a nga Tari Ture hai whakaheke haere i te waihangatanga, te tohatoha, me te ngote, mo te ngarara nei te methamphetamine, ara 'P'; ka mutu ka whaaro ake te Kawanatanga ki te whakarite i tetahi roopu whanui a-Paremata ki te whakakore i te 'P'?
Translation: What is the justice sector strategy to reduce methamphetamine manufacture, distribution and use, and would the Government support a cross-parliamentary party approach to stamp out 'P'?

4. GERRY BROWNLEE to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his statement to the House yesterday that the dates contained in "the projected State highway forecast plan, which is the lengthy document" are the correct start dates for Transit New Zealand's Draft 2006/07-2015/16 10-year State Highway Forecast; if not, why not?

5. LYNNE PILLAY to the Minister of Conservation: Has he been advised of any proposals for a new national park?

6. JOHN KEY to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with his Associate Finance Minister Hon Trevor Mallard's assurances that the Government will make up the funding shortfall revealed in Transit New Zealand's 10-year forecast; if not, why not?

7. HEATHER ROY to the Minister of Defence: What is the monthly cost of keeping the Skyhawk and Aermacchi fleet airworthy and ready for sale, since Numbers 2, 14 and 75 squadron were disbanded on 13 December 2001, and how much has been saved as a result of the scrapping of the combat air wing?

8. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Did the ministerial appointees to the Council of the Universal College of Learning approve the appointment of two full-time chief executives in December 2005; if so, what were their reasons for this unprecedented decision?

9. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Will he be calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre following the recent United Nations Commission on Human Rights' report, issued 15 February 2006, which highlights the systematic practice of torture and the indefinite detention without trial of detainees; if not, why not?

10. SIMON POWER to the Minister of Corrections: What were the original costs approved by Cabinet for each of the four new regional prisons, and does he agree with then Department of Corrections Chief Executive, Mark Byers, who said in October 2002 that the four new prisons would reportedly "cost about $400 million to house 1,400 inmates"?

11. H V ROSS ROBERTSON to the Minister of Veterans' Affairs: What funding has he made available to local community groups to enable them to undertake projects and activities to celebrate the Year of the Veteran?

12. Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister responsible for Climate Change Issues: Will the Government drop the policy of a 10 percent cap on deforestation; if not, why not?

ENDS

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