FORTY-NINTH SESSION Hansard Report
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FORTY-NINTH SESSION Hansard Report 49th Session Fourth Meeting Volume 4 TUESDAY 11 JUNE 2019 MADAM SPEAKER took the Chair at 9.00 a.m. OPENING PRAYER MADAM SPEAKER (N. RATTLE): Please be seated Honourable Members. Honourable Members, our first business this morning is a Message from the Queen’s Representative. This Message is in relation to an increase being applied to Schedule 3 of $300,000. And the Message reads: Message to Parliament Royal Recommendation that is signed by the Queen’s Representative on the 10th day of June 2019. Message No.4 reads: The Queen’s Representative in pursuance of Article 3 of the Constitution on behalf of Her Majesty and in pursuance of Article 43 of the Constitution recommends Parliament to proceed upon the Bill, the Short Title thereof is the Appropriation Act 2019. I lay this on the Table. Thank you. Honourable Members, may it be a wonderful day for us working together today as we have a lot of work to do as you know and so I greet you all present in this dignified House today including all the people of the Cook Islands who are listening in to the broadcasting and our friends in our Public Gallery. And I extend special greetings to our friend, Peter McHugh who is with us today for a couple more days. We have a Ministerial Statement this morning. If I may please call on the Minister Mark Brown. 1 49th Session Tuesday, 11 June, 2019 Volume 4 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT HON. M. BROWN: Thank you Madam Speaker. I give notice to this House that there will be a Motion coming before the House for an increase to the amount of the Appropriation Bill and it will become apparent during the Motion what the increase is for. Thank you Madam Speaker. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you very much Minister. I now open the Floor for our Question Time and our Question Time today is 30 minutes and if you can just please ask your question and leave clarifications if necessary. Thank you. And I see the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. You have the Floor. HON. T. PUPUKE BROWNE: Good morning to all of us. This is not a Question. Rather a Motion under Standing Order 37. It is to request Leave of Absence for the Member, Agnes Armstrong. MADAM SPEAKER: Honourable Member, could I ask you to do that at another time because our 30 minutes for Question Time is particular for 30 minutes. Could we leave that for another time? HON. T. PUPUKE BROWNE: Madam Speaker, Standing Order 37 says: “And such Motion shall have priority over all other business of the House.” MADAM SPEAKER: I think that you can have another time other than Question Time which is only for 30 minutes but there will be time available. We will make sure that you are able to make that time but right now it’s important that we use the Question Time for Questions. HON. T. PUPUKE BROWNE: My reading of the Standing Order – I’m going to sit down but I’m not sure that there is discretion with the Speaker on this particular Motion. It just says: “… such Motion shall have priority….” But for the sake of moving matters along today, I am happy to wait. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you Honourable Member. And I see the Honourable William Heather. You have the Floor. MR W. HEATHER: Good morning to all of us in this House. My question is to the Minister of Finance or to the Prime Minister. 2 49th Session Tuesday, 11 June, 2019 Volume 4 I refer to the tar-sealing truck that was ordered during the term of the previous Minister. My question is what is happening to this? Is it still alive or it’s finished? MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you and you have the Floor the Minister of ICI. HON. R. TAPAITAU: Greetings to all of us this morning. Greetings Madam Speaker. We thank our Lord for returning you and your husband in better health. With regards to the question raised by the Member of Parliament for Ruaau, yes, I have been waiting for this question. We should know that this particular truck was ordered by the Minister before me. Many problems took place with this truck. Never mind, I was one of those that went to view this truck in Palmerston North. I want to announce to this House that that truck is now in Auckland today. It will be on the first boat by international shipping to Rarotonga. Thank you. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you. If there are no further questions. I see the Honourable Selina Napa. You have the Floor. MRS S. NAPA: First of all, good morning to all of us in this Honourable House, to you Madam Speaker and to all the staff of Parliament. I know you have been working some long hours to complete our business of the House. My question is going out to the Minister of ICI and it’s in regards to Te Mato Vai. I understand that some of the Te Mato Vai landowners do not want an endearment agreement but would prefer to negotiate their own agreement. What is Government’s plan to accommodate these landowners? MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you and I see the Minister Mark Brown. HON. M. BROWN: Thank you Madam Speaker. I am not sure I understand the question from the Member. I am not sure what an endearment agreement is. MRS S. NAPA: Enduring. HON. M. BROWN: An enduring agreement. The matter dealing with landowners Madam Speaker is before the officials and there is an avenue through the legal provisions for any sort of dispute resolution to be undertaken and that’s not something that’s currently before me right now but before the officials. Thank you Madam Speaker. 3 49th Session Tuesday, 11 June, 2019 Volume 4 MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you and I see the Honourable Tina Browne. You have the Floor. HON. T. PUPUKE BROWNE: I have a question for the Minister of Health. Over the last twelve months, two fully trained paramedics left the Health Department taking their expertise with them. One was a Cook Islander and the other an expat. The Cook Islander took some time, went to Auckland and trained for three years and he returned and re-joined the Health Department and he was put on $29,000 per annum which in my view did not equate to the position’s efforts and expertise of this person. On requesting a salary more in line for a paramedic it was declined. The local left and sought a job elsewhere where he was paid so he thought the right amount. Recently in the newspaper, Government stated they were committed to paying an appropriate salary to staff at Justice, Police, Corrective Services and Health. Minister, the question is, why did the Health Department allow two paramedics to put the hospital and the patients at risk without ensuring a doctor accompanies the ambulance. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, I see the Minister of Health. HON. R. TOKI-BROWN: Greetings to all of us this morning. Greetings to you Madam Speaker and to all of us in this House and also to the Leader of the Opposition and your Members. I would like to further investigate on this and I ask you please bear with me as I seek more information on this question from the Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Thank you. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you Minister and see the Honourable Member Selina Napa. MRS S. NAPA: My question is going out to the Minister in charge of the Manatua Cable. If the Minister can tell us, what is the Cook Islands actual cost for the Manatua cable and what is the total cost for the Manatua cable. MADAM SPEAKER: I see the Minister, you have the Floor. HON. M. BROWN: If the Honourable Member had a written question I would have been able to obtain the answer straight away today but I will have to go back and pull my calculator out to give her the correct answer, Madam Speaker. MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, I see the Honourable Selina Napa. MRS S. NAPA: Thank you Minister for that short answer, I will certainly be giving you a long list of questions about Manatua cable and it will be coming. MADAM SPEAKER: I see the Honourable Terepai Maoate, you have the Floor. 4 49th Session Tuesday, 11 June, 2019 Volume 4 MR T. MAOATE: Thank you, Madam Speaker and good morning to us this morning and our people listening in and especially to my constituency. My question is for the Minister of Telecommunications concerning the Manatua cable. As we understand this is just for Rarotonga and Aitutaki but while I was in Mangaia for a week the internet service was really bad. Even if I was using the internet close to the Bluesky Office, only upon my return to Rarotonga that I was able to use the internet and send emails again. The question is how is the Government planning to improve telecommunications not just for Aitutaki and Rarotonga but also for all the Outer Islands? MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you and I see the Minister Mark Brown. HON. M. BROWN: Thank you, Madam Speaker and in the interest of time and getting a speedy response to question I was just browsing through the Budget Book here and having a look at the figures for telecommunications. I can advise the Honourable Member for Titikaveka who asked the previous question, that the total Manatua Cable cost comprised of a loan of 15 million US dollars from the Asian Development Bank and the grant of 15 million dollars from the New Zealand Government.