Cabinet to discuss financial help for quake victims
Another emergency cabinet meeting will be held this morning to discuss support for businesses and employees.
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Prime Minister John Key flew back to Wellington from Christchurch late last night and is due to hold his first earthquake media briefing at 7.30am today before going into another emergency cabinet meeting.
Before leaving Christchurch he said ministers would discuss financial help for those affected by the earthquake.
"We will be moving into looking at packages for businesses, employees and those who will be struggling to make ends meet," he told reporters.
He said that up to now the focus had been on rescue and recovery, and repairing core services as quickly as possible.
"But very quickly people are going to have to address the issue that they have outgoings," he said. "They don't have jobs to go to, businesses can't reopen and that is not something that is going to be resolved quickly."
Mr Key indicated financial help would be similar to the strategies used after the September 4 earthquake, when a range of assistance was offered to people who didn't have enough money to pay their bills and to businesses which couldn't continue paying wages.
Most ministers are free of other work for the next two weeks so they can concentrate on Canterbury's crisis after Parliament agreed yesterday to adjourn until March 8.
Christchurch MPs who returned to the city yesterday to help their constituents have been given leave until March 24.
NBR staff and NZPA
Thu, 24 Feb 2011
Thu, 24 Feb 2011
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Cabinet to discuss financial help for quake victims
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