Question Time for 18 March 2021

INGRID LEARY to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand economy?

BROOKE VAN VELDEN to the Minister of Health: Why is the fixed nature of the pharmaceutical budget and total amount of funding allocated for pharmaceuticals out of scope of the announced review into Pharmac?

Dr SHANE RETI to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by all his statements and actions around reducing the number of district health boards?

MARJA LUBECK to the Minister of Education: What progress has the Government made in preparing for increased student numbers north of Auckland?

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE to the Minister of Transport: Does the Auckland Transport Alignment Project 2021–31 investment programme include funding to accelerate planning for an additional Auckland harbour crossing; if not, why not?

ANGIE WARREN-CLARK to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: What initiatives has she recently launched to support food security?

NICOLA WILLIS to the Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness): Does the Aotearoa/New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan aim to reduce the use of emergency accommodation such as motels; if so, how many more people are living in motels today compared to when the plan was announced in February 2020?

PAUL EAGLE to the Minister for Māori Development: What recent Papakāinga announcement has he made for Māori on the Chatham Islands?

SIMEON BROWN to the Minister of Police: Is she confident the Government will meet its target of 1,800 new police officers over three years; if not, how will police have enough resources to deal with increasing gang violence?

Hon EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister for the Environment: Does he stand by his statement that “Immediate improvements in IWG”—intensive winter grazing—“practices this season are required”, and does he expect those improvements to occur before winter begins?

TONI SEVERIN to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does he agree with the advice provided to him regarding increasing the minimum wage this year that the impacts of the increase include “lower job growth and reduced hours”, and that “effects are most likely to impact some demographic groups such as youth, Māori and women”; if not, why not?

JO LUXTON to the Associate Minister of Education: What recent reports has she seen on progress towards implementing Learning Support Coordinators in schools?