By Kate Chapman of NZPA Wellington, June 16 NZPA - State Services Minister Tony Ryall refused to define frontline services today, telling a select committee there was no point as New Zealanders already knew.

Wellington, May 18 NZPA - While answers to patsy oral questions in Parliament are predictable, the Opposition was able to give the replies to a series of queries before they were so much as put to Finance Minister Bill English today.

Wellington, May 14 NZPA - Residents in the Hastings suburb of Flaxmere are celebrating after coming up trumps in their battle to keep a new community probation services centre out of the central business district.

By Ian Llewellyn of NZPA Wellington, March 11 NZPA - It would cost ACC around $19 billion to meet the solvency levels required by commercial insurance companies, MPs were told today.

Wellington, Oct 15 NZPA - The Government's amended emissions trading scheme has no chance of meeting National's target of a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment said today.

Wellington, Sept 27 NZPA - Debate on the amended Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is not over yet. The Government passed the amendment legislation on Thursday and the bill is now before the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.

Wellington, July 16 NZPA - The New Zealand United States Council is sponsoring a visit to Washington by National MP Craig Foss and Labour's Shane Jones.

If Winston Peters really wants to get back into politics, now would be a good time. Halfway through its first full year in office, the Government has issues in front of it which are tailor-made for New Zealand First -- the foreshore and seabed, and bank interest rates.

Wellington, July 2 NZPA - The Labour Party and the bank workers' union are condemning government MPs for blocking a parliamentary inquiry into interest rates.

(Inserts comments by Finance Minister Bill English) Wellington, July 1 NZPA - Government MPs blocked a parliamentary inquiry into the interest rates banks are charging, the Labour Party said today.