QUESTIONS TO MINISTERS

1. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Prime Minister with regard to achieving a budget surplus that “If we had to take $300 million out of the health budget or something to achieve that, I think most people would think that’s a bit silly”; if so, why did he reduce the new operating spending allowance by $500 million for 2015/16 after the Treasury forecast a deficit for that year?

2. ANDREW BAYLY to the Minister of Finance: What steps has the Government taken to get on top of its spending?

3. Hon NANAIA MAHUTA to the Minister for Māori Development: Does he agree with the Auditor-General that one-third of the $137.6 million appropriated for Whānau Ora was spent on administration and could have been spent “on those people and providers who Whānau Ora was meant to help”?

4. SIMON O'CONNOR to the Minister of Health: What steps is the Government taking to increase access to elective surgery?

5. PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement that determining who is foreign for the purposes of restricting residential property ownership by foreign speculators is a “swamp”?

6. CLAYTON MITCHELL to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his statement that “the recent oil spill was not a disaster for the Tauranga environment”?

7. JOANNE HAYES to the Minister for Tertiary Education: How is the Government investing in more collaborative and innovative research?

8. SUE MORONEY to the Minister of Immigration: Does he agree with the statement made by the Hon Michael Woodhouse in Parliament last week with regard to Chinese engineers repairing KiwiRail trains that the Minister of Immigration “is very satisfied that the Chinese workers in this instance were on short-term visas, and these were generally for no more than 3 months per year”?

9. JACQUI DEAN to the Minister of Transport: What progress has the Government made on strengthening New Zealand’s global air links?

10. GARETH HUGHES to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does he think that there is sufficient competition in the pre-paid retail electricity market to keep prices low for consumers?

11. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does he agree with the report of the Labour inspectorate that found that it is unclear whether New Zealand minimum standards law would apply to Chinese workers employed by CNR and working in New Zealand?

12. ALASTAIR SCOTT to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What changes has the Government made to better protect New Zealand’s business reputation?

ENDS

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