What M.P.'s said Integration of schools

Press, 5 August 1985, Page 2

What M.P.'s said Integration of schools

Parliamentary reporter No independent schools seemed to be contemplating integration at the moment, but it could not be assumed from this that they never would, said Miss Ruth Richardson (Nat., Selwyn). Parliament had no legislation to protect trends that might emerge in the future, and the financial pressures on independent schooling at present meant that those trends might emerge sooner rather than later. Pressures arising from the proposed goods and services tax, and the added pressure from the inflation that tax would have in its wake, might drive private schools to seek integration for no other reason than financial relief, she said. Health control The Minister of Health was trying to abdicate a degree of control and a discretion he ought to exercise in the administration of hospital boards, in legislation now before Parliament, said Mr Philip Burdon (Nat., Fendalton). A debate was raging from

North Cape to the Bluff about the closing of rural or provincial hospitals and petitions were flowing into Parliament asking for hospital boards to return maternity units and general surgical units in small communities.

The Minister of Health ought not to be allowed to abdicate responsibility for involvement in hospital board actions when so many people were pressing for him to be involved, Mr Burdon said. Airports Under the new system the Government was proposing, each airport would be able to set its own landing charges, said Mrs Margaret Austin (Lab., Yaldhurst). These charges would be based on the recovery of operating costs, including debt servicing of loans for capital works, and to provide for a return on the capital investment of the airport. She compared this with the present system where airport landing charges were set by the Government at a rate common to most airports, but bearing no relationship to the costs of usage of any particular airport.