Parliament Today 21 August 2013
Questions for Oral Answer.
Questions to Ministers 2.00-3.00PM.
- Hon KATE WILKINSON to the Minister of Finance: What progress is the Government making with its share offer programme to help New Zealanders diversify their savings away from property and bank deposits?
- GRANT ROBERTSON to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?
- CLAUDETTE HAUITI to the Minister for the Environment: What recent announcements has the Government made relating to the improvement of planning frameworks under the Resource Management Act 1991?
- Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: What cost/benefit analysis was done to justify the $30 million subsidy payment to Rio Tinto, and what would the effect have been on electricity prices had the payment not been made?
- Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: Did officials provide the Government with an estimate of the cost to the Crown in foregone interest of allowing retail buyers of Meridian Energy shares to pay for their shares in instalments; if so, what was that estimate?
- Hon PETER DUNNE to the Minister of Justice: Why were the Electoral Act 1993 and the Electoral Regulations 1996 excluded from the provisions of the Electronic Transactions Act 2002?
- PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Finance: Why did the Government through its memorandum of understanding agree the Reserve Bank could introduce loan-to-value ratios without an exemption for first home buyers?
- PAUL GOLDSMITH to the Minister of Local Government: What changes will the Government make to the Local Government Act 2002 to improve housing affordability?
- Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Is he confident that his Minister of Trade’s actions in regards to the Trans-Pacific Partnership are in the interests of New Zealand?
- Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister for Primary Industries: Does he stand by his public statement yesterday that the Snapper 1 Policy proposals are not “too controversial”?
- EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for the Environment: When she said, “… I think we can point to any number of ways that we are making our environmental safeguards more effective and more stringent” was she referring to her proposed changes to the Resource Management Act 1991?
- DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: Does he believe that collective bargaining will increase or decrease as a result of his employment law changes in the Employment Relations Amendment Bill?
Today Labour are asking five questions. They are asking whether the Prime Minister stands by all his statements, the Tiwai Point subsidy, and the new Reserve Bank housing loan restrictions. Labour are also asking about Snapper quota changes and employment law changes. The Greens are asking two questions. One about the purchasing of shares in Meridian and the other on proposes changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA). New Zealand First is asking one question about Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.
Patsy of the Day goes to Paul Goldsmith for Question 8: What changes will the Government make to the Local Government Act 2002 to improve housing affordability?
General Debate 3.00 PM – 4.00 PM
A debate on any of the political issues of the day, usually very interesting to watch. Twelve speeches of no more than five minutes each.
Government Bills 4.00PM – 6.00PM and 7.30PM – 10.00PM.
The GCSB Bill has now been split into three bills.
1 (A) Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill– Thrid Reading
1(B) Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Amendment Bill– Third Reading
1(C) Intelligence and Security Committee Amendment Bill – Third Reading
2 Inquiries Bill – Committee Stage
3 Resource Management Reform Bill – Committee Stage
The Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill has now been split into three bills and is still being guided through the house by the Minister Responsible for the GCSB, The Prime Minister John Key. This is an omnibus bill that proposes amendments to the Government Communications Security Bureau Act 2003, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1996, and the Intelligence and Security Committee Act 1996. The purposes of the bill are to make clear the statutory framework governing the activities of the Bureau and to enhance the external mechanisms for the oversight of the New Zealand’s intelligence agencies.
The Inquiries Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Chris Tremain. The purpose of this bill is to reform and modernise the law relating to inquiries, including Royal commissions and commissions of inquiry.
The Resource Management Reform Bill is being guided through the house by the Minister for the Environment, Amy Adams. It is s an omnibus bill that proposes amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991, the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010, and to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. The bill aims to make improvements to the consenting regime, provide for the delivery of the first combined plan for Auckland, provide further powers to make regulations, and to make technical and operational changes.