Parliament 27 November 2012
Oral Questions 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm.
Questions to Ministers
- JOHN HAYES to the Minister of Finance: What steps is the Government taking to address the long-standing problem of housing affordability in New Zealand?
- Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that the Household Labour Force Survey shows that “over the last four years, the number of jobs in manufacturing is roughly about the same”, given that the survey shows employment in manufacturing has declined by 31,600 in the four years to September 2012?
- DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “Yes, there is a housing issue in New Zealand”?
- Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for Whānau Ora: Is the Whānau Integration, Innovation and Engagement Fund open to individuals who do not have New Zealand citizenship or residency; if so, how many non-residents have received grants from the Fund since 2010?
- Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he accept the findings of the most recent Household Labour Force Survey that show the unemployment rate at its highest level in 13 years; if not, why not?
- CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of State Services: What recent announcements has the Government made regarding public service office accommodation in Wellington?
- Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: What projections, if any, have been done on the impact of his amendments to the Emissions Trading Scheme on forestry?
- Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister of Housing: Does he agree with all of the Prime Minister’s statements on housing?
- Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Transport: What factors led to the Government announcement last Wednesday to proceed with the construction of the Transmission Gully Highway as a public-private partnership?
- CHRIS HIPKINS to the Associate Minister of Education: Was he aware, before he signed off on the decision for Novopay to go live, that the Ministry of Education’s survey of trial Novopay users found only 37 percent of them believed they were ready for its introduction; if not, why not?
- MELISSA LEE to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs: What is the Government doing to help veterans attend significant commemorations of their service?
- GRANT ROBERTSON to the Prime Minister: Was the subject of Kim Dotcom raised in his recent discussion with US President Barack Obama; if so, by whom?
Today National is asking three questions, Labour five, Greens two, New Zealand First and United Future have one each. Labour are asking about housing twice, unemployment, the Novopay issue and Kim Dotocom. The Greens are asking about unemployment in manufacturing and the effect of the Emissions Trading Scheme on forestry. New Zealand First is asking about Whanau Ora. United Future are asking about the construction of Transmission Gully.
Patsy of the day goes to Chris Auchinvole for Question 6: What recent announcements has the Government made regarding public service office accommodation in Wellington?
Government Bills 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm – 10.00 pm
1. Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill – Committee stage (cont.)
2. Advanced Technology Institute Bill – Committee stage (cont.)
3. Legislation Bill– Committee stage
4. International Finance Agreements Amendment Bill -Committee stage (cont.)
The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill was introduced by David Carter in May 2012. It aims to reform the law relating to local government in New Zealand by amending the Local Government Act 2002
The Advanced Technology Institute Bill was introduced by Steven Joyce in September 2012. The aim of this bill is to establish a new statutory Crown entity, the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), with the purpose of supporting businesses, primarily in the manufacturing sector and services sector, to improve their competitiveness and growth through science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation
The Legislation Bill was introduced by Chris Finlayson in June 2010. The aim of this Bill is to modernise and improve the law relating to the publication, availability, reprinting, revision, and official versions of legislation and to bring this law together in a single piece of legislation
The International Finance Agreements Amendment Bill was introduced by Bill English in October 2011. This Bill, which amends the International Finance Agreements Act 1961 (the Act), provides for New Zealand to recognise changes to the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund (the Articles), which are the governing documents of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
[DPF comment: Very interesting that the lead question from the Government isn’t a patsy, but on housing affordability – presumably reflecting a belief that Labour’s policy is full of glaring holes and doesn’t add up. I approve. I think the Government should use more of its questions to attack the Opposition’s dopey policies, rather than patsies to Ministers]