Parliament 4 December 2012
Oral Question 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm
Questions to Ministers.
- JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the competiveness of New Zealand’s business sector?
- ANDREW WILLIAMS to the Minister of Trade: Does he stand by his statement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership that “It’s going to be big. It’s going to be significant and it’s going to help New Zealanders find well-paid jobs”; if so, on what evidence does he base this claim?
- DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement “…You can trust us. If we say we’re going to do something we do it. If we don’t, we don’t … that’s why I’ve stuck to my guns and I haven’t campaigned on one thing and done something different.”?
- METIRIA TUREI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement regarding investor state disputes procedures proposed in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement that “An exclusion solely for Australia and not for everybody else is unlikely to be something we would support”; if so, why?
- SIMON O’CONNOR to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment: What progress has the Government made to improve the viability of the Student Loan Scheme?
- JACINDA ARDERN to the Minister for Social Development: How many times, if any, has the Transition to Work Grant, or similar funds, been used by Work and Income New Zealand to purchase tickets to Australia for job seekers who have found work there?
- SHANE ARDERN to the Minister for Primary Industries: What announcements has he recently made on boosting innovation in the New Zealand primary sector?
- Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement regarding migration to Australia “What’s the point of standing in the airport crying about it?”; if so, how many people have left permanently for Australia since he took office in November 2008?
- TIM MACINDOE to the Minister for Social Development: What announcements has she made on the Expert Advisory Group on Information Security, who will oversee the development of the initiatives in the Government’s White Paper for Vulnerable Children?
- CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister of Education: Does she agree with all of the statements the Prime Minister has made regarding food in schools?
- MOJO MATHERS to the Associate Minister of Health: Other than the LD50 test, will he rule out other animal tests for the pending psychoactive substances testing regime?
- NICKY WAGNER to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: What progress is the Government making with rebuilding and repairing residential homes in Christchurch?
Today National is asking five questions, Labour four, Greens two and New Zealand First one. Labour is asking about trust, the Transition to Work grant, people moving to Australia and food in schools. The Greens are asking about the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and animal testing. New Zealand First is also asking about the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
Patsy of the day goes to Shane Ardern for Question 7: What announcements has he recently made on boosting innovation in the New Zealand primary sector?
Government Bills 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm – 10.00 pm
1. Appropriation (2011/12 Financial Review) -First reading
2. Callaghan Innovation Bill – Third reading
3. Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill – First reading
4. Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill – First reading
5. Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill – First reading
The Appropriation (2011/12 Financial Review) Bill was introduced by Bill English in November 2012. The purpose of this bill is to confirm and validate financial matters relating to the 2011/12 financial year.
The Callaghan Innovation Bill (formerly 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 Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill was introduced by Judith Collins in November 2012. This bill implements the Government’s decisions resulting from a review of the Family Court conducted by the Ministry of Justice.
The Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill was introduced by Bill English in August 2012. The aim of this Bill is to amend the “fiscal responsibility provisions” of the Public Finance Act 1989 (the Act) to “ensure” that they “continue to be a sound guide for fiscal policy”.
The Criminal Procedure Legislation Bill was introduced by Chester Borrows in October 2012. This Bill contains technical amendments required to ensure that the legislative intent of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), and related legislation arising from the dividing of the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill, is made clear and can be applied as intended by the judiciary, prosecutors, and defence counsel. Additionally, without the greater specificity and clarity provided by the proposed amendments, the full and effective implementation of the 2011 Act and the benefits sought to be achieved may not be fully realised.