Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Later today, I will be tabling an action plan for the consolidation of the departments of Health and Social Services. The plan includes a functional organization chart for the newly approved headquarters structure, which will be fully implemented by January 31, 1995. The integration of the headquarters operation has resulted in a significant downsizing of the management team from 18 to a total of 10 managers in Yellowknife.

The consolidation at the regional and community levels will occur in two phases following the headquarters reorganization. Much work has already been done with boards and senior staff of Social Services to explore the opportunities for integration of both program and staff resources. Health boards appear to be receptive to the variety of options that have already been discussed and it should be possible to move fairly quickly with the changes that are identified through continuing consultation.

It is clear that solutions cannot be the same in all parts of the territories. For example, some innovative approaches will be necessary in the South Mackenzie. The Health and Social Services operations do not cover the same geographical areas, as is the case in the other regions. However, this consolidation gives us the opportunity to rationalize resources in this area and to move staff closer to the people they serve. This is particularly true of Mackenzie health services, which currently operate out of Yellowknife, but whose clients are primarily in the Deh Cho and Dogrib areas.

There are some good opportunities to bring jobs to smaller communities through decentralization and I will be providing regular reports to this House to keep Members up to date on the progress of consolidation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.