Mr. Chairman, thank you. There are two or three things that contribute to it taking so long. One is that there are forms which have to be filled out very carefully. When you start to compare the lettering on the form to the birth certificates and all the documents they have to be checked with, unfortunately we have found errors in many cases and we have to send them back to be re-done. Then, you have to contact the people who are involved and obtain the information and signatures all over again. That certainly contributes to it.
A second aspect which contributes to it is that there are occasions when the work load is such that staff are unable to get at completing some of these things, because they are involved in dealing with other crisis. Sometimes, there is a delay in completing these forms both in the field and in headquarters.
A third area where backlog can occur is in getting the cases actually presented into court. Occasionally, there are delays in doing that. I have had discussions with the deputy minister of Justice recently, and we are going to endeavour to deal with the current backlog during the next few months. We are going to endeavour to get it cleared off.