Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The way we tried to address this issue was by rotating the chair of the regional directors, for example, Mr. O'Brien's area is the Keewatin region, so we would rotate the chairs. What we want to do now is formalize it and the secretary to Cabinet is getting in touch with the regional directors to pick one regional director in every region to act as a liaison between the executive branch of government and the region and then the person would be compensated accordingly for performing that little bit of extra duty. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier is indicating that each of the superintendents in the region will at some point rotate and take on that additional responsibility and that there will be additional compensation for those individuals. Given the fact that there will be additional compensation, would it not be worth, again, reviewing the situation to see whether or not we should reinstate the regional directors as they were in the past, to serve as that liaison officer? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, absolutely not. As the Member can recall, we cut our budget well over $1 million by eliminating the regional superintendents positions. We do not see the cost being very much at all and it would not be a rotated chair either. We would put one regional superintendent, the one that shines in the region, and he or she will carry out these extra duties and will be compensated accordingly for those extra duties. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, who would make the decision as to which shining superintendent would take on this additional responsibility, yourself or Cabinet? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It would be made by my secretary to Cabinet, in consultation with regional superintendents, as well as the deputy ministers of the departments and in consultation with myself as well. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on some earlier questions and the return to oral question by the Premier to Mr. O'Brien. My question will be for the Premier. Under the common authority of the deputy minister in response to the Minister, the Premier said in delegating authority, monetary limits and conditions to meet the business needs of positions apply. With that he goes on further to say in his response that, indeed, for a deputy minister or other employee to exercise expenditure authority, it must be specifically delegated. Does the Premier mean then that before a deputy minister enters into a contract, an amount, a dollar figure is given? For example, before the negotiations go on, the Premier or this government would say you have a $4 million window, that is what you can delegate. Is that what the Premier means when he says the deputy minister or other employee to exercise expenditure authority, it must be specifically delegated? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, for a deputy minister or other employee to exercise expenditure authority, it must be specifically delegated, that is what it means. Exactly what it says. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What does that

specifically mean?

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did not hear the question.

Mr. Picco, your second supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the answer is that there is not an exact amount stipulated in the Financial Administration Act. It is a direct quote from the Premier, from his comment to Mr. O'Brien on the return to oral question, but with regard to a limit on the amount of dollars that a deputy minister can commit for a lease or renewal, the answer to that is the Minister may delegate that expenditure. What I am seeing here, Mr. Speaker, is a lot of gobbledygook. It seems to cloud the answer. What is the amount specifically delegated by the Minister? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In delegating authority, monetary limits and conditions to meet the business needs of the position apply, not a standard number applied to all individuals who hold a comparable level of authority in government. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regard to a limit on the amount of dollars that a deputy minister can commit for a lease or a lease renewal, the answer is that there is not an exact amount stipulated in the Financial Administration Act, not in the act, but is there by the government?