Parliament Today 4 March 2014

Questions for Oral Answer.

Questions to Ministers 2.00PM -3.00PM.

  1. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement “our approach is to put everyday New Zealanders at the heart of everything the Government does, so we organise services around them”?
  2. IAN McKELVIE to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on momentum building in the economy – particularly trends in jobs, wages, and business confidence?
  3. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: When did he first become aware that Treasury had miscalculated estimates of household disposable income?
  4. TE URUROA FLAVELL to the Minister for the Environment:Will she continue to protect the concept of cultural impact assessments as a key tenet of the Resource Management Act 1991 and does she agree with David Taipari, Chair of the Māori Statutory Board for Auckland Council, that, like built heritage, it was important to protect archaeological sites or sites of significance to mana whenua?
  5. JACINDA ARDERN to the Minister for Social Development:When was she first advised about the miscalculation affecting “estimates of disposable income”, and how was this advice received?
  6. TIM MACINDOE to the Minister of Science and Innovation:What announcements has he made to encourage further investment in research and development by tech-savvy firms?
  7. METIRIA TUREI to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his ministers?
  8. Dr JIAN YANG to the Minister of Health: What progress can he report on the Government’s health targets for district health boards?
  9. BRENDAN HORAN to the Minister of Energy and Resources: Does he stand by all his statements regarding iron sand seabed mining; if so, why?
  10. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made on the Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Programme?
  11. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Transport: Does he have confidence in KiwiRail following the discovery of asbestos in DL locomotives?
  12. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Commerce: What decisions have been made on crowd funding following the passage of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013?

Today Labour are asking four questions. These are about services provided by the Government, accuracy of Treasury estimates, household income, and asbestos in Kiwirail locomotives. The Greens have one question, to the Prime Minister about whether he has confidence in all his Ministers. Brendan Horan is asking about seabed mining.

Patsy of the day goes to Jian Yang for Question 8: What progress can he report on the Government’s health targets for district health boards?

Government Bills 3.00PM-6.00Pm and 7.30PM-10.00PM.

1. Appropriation (2012/13 Financial Review) Bill – Committee Stage

2. Electoral Amendment Bill – Committee Stage

3. Border Processing (Trade Single Window and Duties) Bill – Committee Stage

4. Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill – First Reading

The Appropriation (2012/13 Financial Review) Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister of Finance, Bill English. The purpose of this bill is to confirm and validate financial matters relating to the 2012/13 financial year.

The Electoral Amendment Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister of Justice, Judith Collins. This bill proposes amendments to the Electoral Act 1993 to implement recommendations made by the Justice and Electoral Committee in its Inquiry into the 2011 General Election. The purpose of the amendments is to improve services to voters, candidates, and political parties.

The Border Processing (Trade Single Window and Duties) Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister of Customs, Maurice Williamson. This bill proposes amendments to support the implementation of the Trade Single Window component of the Joint Border Management System.

The Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister of Building and Construction, Maurice Williamson. This bill amends the Building Act 2004 to improve the system for managing earthquake-prone buildings.