A review of the week's news including: Last frantic days of Election '11, a High Court judge refuses to rule on the "teacup tape", 2,000 attend Pike River Mine ceremony on first anniversary of explosions, former Pike River employee tells Royal Commission he warned of explosion "at any time", record numbers of New Zealanders heading to Australia, operation to remove containers from Rena battles high winds, Christchurch people to walk through city centre for first time since February's earthquake and Takamore case heads back to High Court.
The Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council are going to the High Court for a ruling on who's responsible for 10-thousand claims from the earlier Canterbury earthquakes.
Questions to Ministers
1. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of Commerce: What legislative and regulatory steps has he taken to help restore investor confidence in the financial markets?
2. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by her reported statement that it would be pre-emptive to rule anything out because the Government was still working its way through extensive recommendations by the Welfare Working Group?
3. TE URUROA FLAVELL to the Minister of Transport: Ka aha ia ki te whakapaipai ake i te āhua o ngā rori i te tuawhenua, he hapori Māori nei te nuinga o ngā tāngata ki reira, ā, e kiia nei e ētahi, he pērā aua rori ki ngā mea o ngā ao pōhara rawa atu?
* Translation: What will he do to improve the conditions of roads in rural, predominately Māori communities, some of which have been described as of third world status?
4. Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his answer to Oral Question No 1 yesterday in relation to unemployed 15 to 19-year-olds, "If we look at the household labour force survey, we see that there are 26,700 people in the 15 to 19-year-old category"?
5. TIM MACINDOE to the Minister of Health: What progress are district health boards making in providing faster cancer radiation treatment for patients?
6. GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Health: Are district health boards being funded sufficiently to maintain the level of services they provided in 2010/11?
7. KEVIN HAGUE to the Minister of Labour: When will the new chief inspector for mining and additional inspectors in the planned High Hazards Unit become operational?
8. CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Minister of Justice: Does he agree with the Chief Justice that the scheme for disclosure by the defence in criminal cases contained in the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill is "inconsistent with the defendant's right to have the prosecution prove its case beyond reasonable doubt" and with the late Chief District Court Judge that punishment at sentencing for procedural non-compliance "is conceptually incoherent and therefore arbitrary"?
9. Hon TAU HENARE to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What is the Government doing to help teen parents get ahead?
10. Hon LIANNE DALZIEL to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: How many letters of offer from the Crown will be sent to insured residential red zone property owners this week?
11. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What announcements has he made today on improving flexibility for community groups receiving grants from gaming societies?
12. DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: Does she stand by her statement about making changes to mine safety that "until the royal commission of inquiry makes its findings, we will wait accordingly"?
Questions to Ministers
1. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Finance: What is the cost impact for the Earthquake Commission following Friday's High Court decision, and what now is the total cost to the Crown of the Canterbury earthquakes?
2. PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister of Finance: What steps has the Government taken to build a more competitive, export-focused economy?
3. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that "New Zealand simply can't afford a future where 20 percent of our workforce does not have the skills necessary for modern jobs"?
4. TIM MACINDOE to the Minister of Health: What was the average annual increase in elective discharges from 2000/2001 to 2007/2008, and how does this compare to the average annual increase in elective discharges over the last three financial years?
5. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement in relation to part-privatisation of State-owned assets that "there will be some wholesale investors from overseas who will want to buy a little bit of these shares"?
6. KEITH LOCKE to the Minister of Defence: Was he briefed as to the presence of United States personnel at the Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Bamiyan and their duties; if so, what are the duties of the United States personnel at Bamiyan?
7. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his answers to Oral Question No 1 on 16 August 2011?
8. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister of Transport: What progress has the Government made on improving Auckland's commuter rail network?
9. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: If he expects at least 85 to 90 percent of the State-owned assets he intends to privatise would remain in New Zealand's ownership, including the Crown's holding, what percent of the shares he plans to sell would be bought by foreign buyers?
10. NICKY WAGNER to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made regarding trades academies?
11. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources: Does she stand by the Government's decision to require Meridian Energy to sell some of its hydro-electricity dams on the Waitaki River to Genesis Energy, and how have the proceeds of the sale been used?
12. JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Corrections: What reports has she received about efforts to cut re-offending rates and rehabilitate offenders?
Questions to Members
1. CLARE CURRAN to the Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee: Has he requested any submissions of evidence about the petition to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee signed by nearly 14,000 people calling on the Government to retain the Hillside and Woburn workshops?
