Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Ms. Mike on February 19, 1992 regarding reduction in student allowances. The Member for Baffin Central questioned why the funding one student received had been reduced from $531.43 to $522.86. There has been no reduction in the total allowance paid to the students; however, in the 1991-92 school year, the Department of Education changed the monthly allowances payment from an amount which fluctuated somewhat from month to month to an average amount.

In previous years, the monthly cheques paid to the students fluctuated depending upon whether the month had 30 days or 31 days. For example, a single student received $514.29 for a 30-day month and $531.43 for a 31-day month. Students raised concern over the fluctuating rates, as they caused budgeting problems. As a result, the department implemented a new schedule to provide students with a consistent monthly cheque rate of $522.86 based upon the average of two previous months' rates. Thank you.