Parliament 13 August 2015

The order paper is here.

Oral Questions 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm

1. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Minister of Trade: Does he stand by his statement that the $6.2 billion investor-state dispute settlement action initiated by the Swedish power company Vattenfall, “is not, in fact, an attempt by the company to stop a democratically elected German Government from shifting its policy on nuclear power; it is about the financial implications of that decision”; if so, why?
2. DAVID BENNETT to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the resilience of the New Zealand economy?
3. IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Will all New Zealand workers have the right to have a health and safety representative when they request one, under the Health and Safety Reform Bill?
4. Dr PARMJEET PARMAR to the Minister for Economic Development: What is the Government doing to encourage more investment throughout New Zealand?
5. Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated on 19 April 2012 that they were “finding an appropriate mechanism to meet Al Khalaf’s concern for ‘compensation’ (possibly through the joint venture)”, did ‘compensation’ mean compensation or have some other meaning like “not compensation”?
6. MARK MITCHELL to the Minister of Trade: What is the Government doing to reduce, what some commentators are saying is, an overdependence on trade with China?
7. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises: What was Solid Energy’s debt in 2008/09 and what was it in the latest annual report?
8. CLAYTON MITCHELL to the Minister of Broadcasting: Does she stand by all her statements?
9. BRETT HUDSON to the Minister of Energy and Resources: What recent reports has he received on energy trends and growth in New Zealand?
10. STUART NASH to the Minister for Land Information: Has she received information from the Overseas Investment Office which confirms the statement of the Minister of Economic Development that “We have not been as effective as other countries in ensuring that overseas investment into New Zealand has provided the additional benefits”?
11. JAN LOGIE to the Minister for Social Development: What actions, if any, has the Ministry of Social Development taken to ensure the wellbeing of children in families subjected to benefit sanctions, given that sanctions of sole parents have increased by 19.98 percent in the last year?
12. TODD BARCLAY to the Minister for Food Safety: What announcements has the Government made that will help our primary sector have greater access to the latest technologies and agricultural products?

National: Five questions on the economy, investment, trade with China, energy and primary sector

Labour: Four questions on workplace safety, the Saudi Arabia farm, Solid Energy and overseas investment

Greens: Two questions on TPP and welfare sanctions

NZ First: One question on Minister of Broadcasting standing by her statements

Government Bills 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm

Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill – committee stage continued

This Bill authorises the individual appropriations contained in The Estimates of Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand for the year ending 30 June 2016.

• Introduced May 2015
• 1st reading: May 2015, passed without dissent
• 2nd reading: June 2015, passed 63-58 with Labour, Greens, NZ First against

The debate is an 11 hour debate divided into ten sector debates. The sectors are:

• Economic Development and Infrastructure Sector – done
• Education Sector – done
• Environment Sector – done
• External Sector – done
• Finance and Government Administration Sector – done
• Health Sector – done
• Justice Sector – done
• Māori, Other Populations and Cultural Sector – done
• Primary Sector – done
• Social Development and Housing Sector – current

Each debate is a minimum of eight speeches of up to five minutes each, led off by the relevant select committee chairperson.