Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance, $8.642 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you. Total supplementary appropriation in parts 1 and 2, $8.875 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you. Now, the bill as a whole. Mr. Koe.

We are now finished the 1992-93 main estimates. We have now completed four supplementary appropriations. I have a question for the Minister of Finance. When we approve budgets, each department has, in their budget, definitive objectives. With all this money that has been spent and will be within a day or so, how many of these definitive objectives, which the departments have put in to get their budgets, have been met?

I am advised this is a different question. We have to do Bill 23 first. Do we agree that Bill 23 is concluded, Mr. Koe? It is ready for third reading. Mr. Koe.

Can I ask questions on Bill 23?

I am being advised that we have gone through clause by clause and we are not able to go back, unless you can ask permission to go back.

Mr. Chairman, I seek unanimous consent to go back to general comments on Bill 23.

Do we have the concurrence of the committee that the honourable Member go back to general comments? Agreed?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you. Proceed, Mr. Koe.

All right. Once we pass Bill 23, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 1992-93, this means we passed supplementary acts one, two and three, plus the main

estimates for 1992-93. Within the budget documents for 1992-93, each department had a list of definitive objectives, which I assume were there to justify their budgets. My question would be, can the Minister of Finance advise, or will he find out how many of these definitive objectives were met while the departments were spending their money?

I guess that goes beyond the scope of Bill 23, but I will allow the question if the Minister wants to respond.

Mr. Chairman, I think as Members know, there is a quarterly variance report which is sent in by departments. Those variance reports are tabled with the Finance Management Board and reviewed, and are commented on by the Department of Finance Financial Management Board. With the fourth quarter variance report, we will anticipate a report from each of the departments outlining how far they have got with their definitive objectives. From that, FMB will be able to determine how successful or how unsuccessful a department was in reaching those definitive objectives. I do not want you to think it is only done on a yearly basis. The analyst who works with the departments, the analyst within the Department of Finance is constantly monitoring how the departments are spending their money. When they want to go ahead with supplementary appropriations, those things have to be analyzed. So, there is some vigilance exercised on departments, but the truth of the matter comes out probably in May or June when the response is given to us on how and what they did with their money. Of course, it will also have to do with how much money they lapsed as well. As I say, that report will be back to us by June. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Does the committee agree that Bill 23 is ready for third reading?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Thank you very much. Mr. Dent.

Does the committee agree we move on to Bill 24, Write-off of Debts Act, 1993? Agreed?

Agreed.

---Agreed

Bill 24, Write-off of Debts Act, 1993

Thank you. Mr. Pollard, we are on Bill 24, Write-off of Debts Act, 1993. Are you ready for the opening remarks?

Introductory Remarks