David Ramsay

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would now like to provide the committee’s report on the Financial Management Board Secretariat.

The committee met with the chairman of the Financial Management Board on February 18, 2004, to review the draft 2004-2005 main estimates for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, FMBS.

FMBS is proposing a $518,000 increase in operations expenses from the 2003-2004 main estimates. This is primarily due to forced growth in salaries and benefits and the power subsidy program, which is partially offset by expenditure reductions and the transfer of the staff housing...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that the government investigate the feasibility of establishing a human resource service centre.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for that explanation, Mr. Minister. The next question I have is in terms of vacant positions, and I’ll ask you about your department. When a position is vacant for four, six, eight months, whatever the case may be, that money being used, Mr. Chairman, to fund other functions or other activities inside the department such as travel or other contracted services or other expenses as they’re called, I’m just wondering, through you, Mr. Chairman, in FMBS when there’s vacant positions do they use the funded positions for other activities inside that department? Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess another question I’d have is how are travel budgets arrived at in your department and in other departments? In the formula that I found consistent through the various departments was you take the number of employees and multiply it by $10,000 and then you arrive at a travel budget. Is that the case? Maybe the Minister can let me know how it is they arrive at a budget because I don’t think there is a budget. That’s what I’m getting at, Mr. Chairman.

Page 3-11, treasury, operations expense, total operations expense, $4.472 million. Questions? Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Premier for his response. I know he mentioned it, but I would like to get a commitment from him that he will raise this with our partners and that it will be on the agenda. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. It's about five minutes to 6:00 and I don't know what the wish of the committee is. We have a few more minutes here, we have two other speakers on our list. We can start with Mr. Hawkins, and then I have Mr. Yakeleya and we will try to conclude this. Is that the wish of committee? Agreed?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Ms. Melhorn.