Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, normally if you go to your nurse, they will refer you to a physician. A physician will refer you to a specialist to have a particular procedure done. If you've had a bad fracture, they would refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon in Edmonton and the operation would be done down there if Stanton could not handle that particular situation. That happens occasionally. If this badly fractured limb could not be treated at Stanton, they would be referred to the Royal Alexandra hospital and the treatment would be done there. The specialist would be the person who is working out of that particular hospital.

I think what Mr. Dent is getting at is there are people who, for many years, have seen the same specialists in Edmonton over and over again. I believe some of them see them a few times a year. If it doesn't involve hospitalization then I think they could probably still see those people. We figure 85 per cent of our patients from the territories can be hospitalized at the Royal Alexandra. For those people who are going down for consultation every three months or so, I don't see a reason why they would have to change their specialist if it doesn't involve hospitalization. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.

Madam Speaker, I think there's a little bit of confusion. What we're trying to deal with is the hospital we send people to from the western Arctic and the Kitikmeot. That used to be, for the most part, the Charles Camsell Hospital. That hospital, I understand, will be no longer, so we are making a new arrangement. Any of those other services and the choices of people will still be there. But, when it comes to hospitalization, we are trying to get people from the western Arctic and from the Kitikmeot to be patients in the Royal Alexandra Hospital where they offer the service. If they don't offer the service, then they will refer those cases to the University Hospital or the Cross Cancer Institute.

I think we're dealing with a facility and I think Mr. Dent is talking about a patient's choice of physician. I don't intend to get involved in the patient's choice of physician, although I am trying to encourage people from the western Arctic and from the Kitikmeot to use the Royal Alexandra hospital. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Health, Mr. Pollard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I had the department check with all the medical associations in the Northwest Territories including the nurses, the Public Health Association and I consulted personally with the board. I believe that the last piece of information we're waiting for is a letter from the boards advising about their visit to the facility which happened about ten days ago. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Social Services and it is with regard to the food allowances for clients on social assistance. A year after this government took office, in October 1992, there was a five per cent increase in social assistance payments. In October 1993, there was another average of a five per cent increase in social assistance rates. The monthly food allowance rates are still below the monthly nutritious food basket costs as published by the NWT bureau of statistics. I would like to ask the Minister, is an ongoing evaluation and adjustment of food allowance rates for social assistant clients still a priority of her department? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Among many priorities, yes, it is.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, then what plans are in place to review these food scale increases for the upcoming year? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't have the information at the tip of my tongue, so I'll take the question as notice. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will take the question as notice.