Mr. Chairman. Staff Housing. During the review of both the business plans and the draft Main Estimates, committee Members expressed concern about the diminishing supply of government staff housing. Many transient and essential professionals require temporary and affordable housing. The unavailability of staff housing may be a deterrent to the recruitment and retention of essential personnel.

The committee and the department agree that the absence or limited availability of staff housing is not the only difficulty in the recruitment and retention of teachers and medical staff. Two other major factors include competing compensation packages in other jurisdictions and the current shortage of teachers and nurses nationwide.

The department provided the committee with an inventory of existing staff housing, including the location of each unit, its condition and occupancy status, as well as a timeline for their renovation, removal or sale. The department noted in the inventory report that there are 100 staff housing units remaining in the Western Territory, and a portion will be transferred to their respective communities.

However, during the draft Main Estimates review, the committee was informed by the Minister that although the ownership of some staff housing has been transferred to their respective communities, the government remains responsible for their operations and maintenance costs. As a result, committee Members asked the Minister to provide summaries outlining the government's operations and maintenance costs for existing staff housing and the government's portion of the operations and maintenance costs for transferred staff housing.

Human Resource Management. Committee Members noted during the business plan review that there should be a coordinated and centralized human resource management initiative to ensure the cost-effective and accurate accounting and allocation of existing and projected positions.

The committee requested and received a personnel summary report describing each government position, its description, location, and whether it is filled or vacant, as well as comprehensive information about the People Soft Program that is currently being adopted for more effective human resource management within government. That is the report of the Financial Management Secretariat Board. Thank you.