Parliament – 25th September 2013

Questions to Ministers – 2pm to 3pm 

1. JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Minister of Finance: How is the Government supporting New Zealand families through the economic recovery?
2. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Prime Minister: Has he or his Office sought an assurance from the Minister of Conservation that he did not know about the existence of the draft submission prepared by the Department of Conservation in early July relating to the Ruataniwha Dam, before 17 September 2013; if not, why not?
3. ALFRED NGARO to the Minister of Justice: What recent Better Public Services results for the Justice Sector has she announced?
4. Hon ANNETTE KING to the Minister of Health: Has the increase in health funding for 2013/14 been sufficient to stop cuts in health services and staffing?
5. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Conservation: What did he say in his meeting with officials on 29 July that led Department of Conservation Deputy Director-General Doris Johnston to write in an email later that day that he is “… likely to query whether we leave it all to the EPA to consider”?
6. Hon SHANE JONES to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with the Productivity Commission that the “growing gap in labour productivity has been the main driver of an increasing disparity in GDP per capita between the two trans-Tasman economies,” and given double-digit house price inflation in Auckland, doesn’t this show the Government’s efforts to rebalance the economy towards productive exports and jobs has failed?
7. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Minister for Whānau Ora: Does she stand by her answers to Oral Question No. 4 yesterday?
8. PHIL TWYFORD to the Minister of Housing: What does he say to the almost 80 percent of people looking to buy their first homes who say they cannot afford the 20 percent deposit or will need family help because of LVR lending limits?
9. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: What progress is the Government making on its rheumatic fever programme?
10. Hon RUTH DYSON to the Minister of Conservation: Did he receive the draft submission on the Ruataniwha Dam proposal, which was requested by Doris Johnston, Deputy Director-General at the Department of Conservation, to be delivered on Tuesday 30 July 2013; if so, on what date?
11. Hon TAU HENARE to the Minister of Customs: What is Customs doing to stem the tide of illegal psychoactive substances?
12. DENISE ROCHE to the Minister of Finance: What is the expected value of the dividends from TVNZ that the Crown will forego as a result of the dividend relief agreement related to the SkyCity deal?

Questions today are 5 Labour, 4 National, 2 Greens and 1 New Zealand First.

Labour will be asking about Nick Smith’s handling of the DOC submission on the Ruataniwha Dam, health funding, productivity, LVR limits for housing and a further question from Ruth Dyson on the Ruataniwha Dam. National will be asking questions on issues such as the economy, justice sector targets, rheumatic fever and customs handing of drugs. Green’s will be asking about the DOC submission and TVNZ dividends, with New Zealand First asking a question about their favorite topic, Whānau Ora.

Pasty Question of the Day 

Question 9 from Dr Paul Huntchison to the Minster of Health on the rheumatic fever programme is today’s winner of pasty question of the day.

General Debate – 3pm to 4pm 

12 rounds of 5 minute open speeches from Members of Parliament.

Private and Local Orders of the Day – 4pm to 5pm

1) New Zealand Mission Trust Board (Otamataha) Empowering Bill – Te Ururoa Flavell  – First Reading

This bill is designed to allow for the transfer of land in Tauranga from the ownership of the New Zealand Mission Trust to the Otamataha Trust. The land was acquired in 1896 by the Church Mission Society and handed over to the New Zealand Mission Trust for the spiritual benefit and spiritual instruction of Maori people in the North Island. The original owners of the land where Ngati Tapu and Ngaitamarawaho and the trustees of the New Zealand Mission Trust have created the Otamataha Trust in order to help the iwi members of Ngati Tapu and Ngaitamarawaho in the future.

Members Orders of the Day – 5pm to 6pm and 7.30pm to 10pm

1) Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection Bill) – Jacqui Dean – Committee Stage

This bill is designed to encourage compliance with enactments administered by the Department of Conservation by increasing penalties to better protect natural and historic resources and protected wildlife. The main changes the Bill makes to the existing law are to both increase the penalties, and implement a consistent approach to penalties across the main enactments administered by the Department of Conservation.

At the last reading of this bill it passed without objection.

2) Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill – Dr Cam Calder – First Reading

This bill is designed to ban the possession of a Hand – held Laser in public areas without a reasonable excuse. In addition, the bill gives additional powers to the police to be able to confiscate lasers from people if they are found in a public place. Currently section 270 of the Crimes Act gives the police some powers to stop people from using a Hand-Held Laser on objects such as moving cars and airplanes but this goes one step further.

3) Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill – Le’aufa’amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor – First Reading

This bill is designed to amend the Sentencing Act 2002 so that if a offence is committed in the presence of a minor, then it should be considered as a aggravating factor at the sentencing of the offender. In addition, the bill expresses the view that if any offense committed in front of a minor has any potential adverse effect on them, then the sentence should reflect that at the time.