Parliament 13 February 2013

Questions for Oral Answer.

Questions to Ministers.

  1. DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Finance: What will be the main focus of Budget 2013?
  2. DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?
  3. METIRIA TUREI to the Minister of Education: Given the Salvation Army's State of the Nation report shows a widening education gap between students from wealthier and poorer communities, would she have done anything differently, in hindsight, to better support children in lower decile schools?
  4. JACQUI DEAN to the Minister of Police: What announcements has the Government made on the availability of new technology for frontline Police to help them in their fight against crime?
  5. DENIS O'ROURKE to the Minister for Economic Development:What progress, if any, has the Government made in the area of regional development?
  6. Hon  to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his Budget 2012 statement “We are moving towards growth that is driven by savings, exports, and productive investment in the parts of the economy that trade with the rest of the world”?
  7. Dr CAM CALDER to the Minister of Education: What reports has she received on the 2012 results?
  8. JACINDA ARDERN to the Deputy Prime Minister: Does he agree with the Salvation Army whose report states today that “Another year of minimal change in levels of child poverty was matched by little tangible progress being made by the Ministerial Committee on Poverty”; if not, why not?
  9. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: What steps is the Government taking to reduce costs for New Zealanders using their mobile devices overseas?
  10. HONE HARAWIRA to the Minister for , Skills and : Does he agree that a Māori and Pacific unemployment rate that has been nearly three times higher than the Pākehā rate for each of the four years of his Government's time in office signals the failure of the National Governments employment, education, skills and training policies for Māori and Pacific peoples; if not, why not?
  11. CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all of her decisions as Minister of Education; if not, which, if any, particular decisions does she now regret?
  12. MELISSA LEE to the Minister for Ethnic Affairs: What is the Government doing to increase the leadership capabilities in youth of ethnic minorities?

Today Labour are asking four questions, The Greens have one question, Mana and NZ First also have one question. Labour are asking about whether the Prime Minister stands by all his statements, Bill English about growth in the economy and child poverty, and Hekia Parata about which decisions as a minister she regrets. The Greens are asking about child poverty, NZ First is asking about regional development and Mana is asking about Maori and Pacific Islander unemployment relative to Pakeha unemployment.

Patsy of the day goes to Melissa Lee for Question 12: What is the Government doing to increase the leadership capabilities in youth of ethnic minorities?

Debate on the Prime Ministers Statement 3.00 PM – 4.10 PM

Speeches of ten minutes, with 1 hour and 10 minutes to go

Valedictory Statement of the Dr Rt Hon Lockwood Smith 5.30 PM – 6.00 PM

Dr Smith has served as an MP  for first the Kaipara electorate and then Rodney since 1984, and has held a number of Cabinet positions; he was Minister of Education from 1990 to 1996 and subsequently served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister for International Trade, and Associate Minister of Finance. Lockwood has been the Speaker of the House from late 2008 until last week. Valedictory speeches are normally 15 minutes in length, but given Lockwood's long service I expect it will be extended to 30 minutes.

Government Bills 4.10 PM – 5.30 PM and 7.30-10.00 PM

1. Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill – Second Reading

2.Corrections Amendment Bill – Committee Stage

3. Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill – Committe Stage

The Environment Canterbury (Temporary Comissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill is being guided through the house by Chris Tremain. The main aim of the Bill is to extend from 2013 to 2016 the Canterbury Regional Council's (ECan) governance arrangement and special water management decision-making powers in the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010 (the Act).

The Corrections Amendment Bill is being guided through the house by Anne Tolley. The main aim of this Bill is to remove barriers to managing prisoners in a manner that is safe, secure, humane, effective, and efficient.

The  (Information Sharing) Bill is being guided through the house by Judith Collins. The aim of the Bill as introduced is to amend the Privacy Act 1993 and the Tax Administration Act 1994 in relation to information sharing by agencies delivering public services to better integrate services, reduce duplication and lower information handling costs across government.