Yes, Mr. Chairman. With me is Lew Voytilla, secretary to the Financial Management Board.

Welcome. We are on page 2-37. General comments. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have an issue, or a comment, about PeopleSoft. The Minister tabled a report that was done, but it was about a year ago. I have heard that, in fact, there is a much more current post PeopleSoft audit that was done by the consultants referenced in the information that was given to my colleague, Mr. Bell.

I was wondering if it would be possible to see a copy of that one? The other one is interesting, but it is dated. Thank you.

The Honourable Minister responsible for Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman. Yes, there is a post implementation review report that has just been completed, within the last ten days or so. There is no difficulty in making that available as well. Thank you.

Those are all my comments, for now, Mr. Chairman. I will gladly donate my nine minutes to somebody else.

General comments. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is an area where I will have to bring up these concerns because there is no particular area, I do not believe, in this departments main estimates that would refer to the Financial Administration Act. As well, earlier we heard from the Minister of Public Works and Services on the POL issue and he was told to refer their question on the one-time gift or one-time allocation from the Nunavut Government, that was referred to earlier on when we got in, before coming into the House for this Session. The reference to assets from Nunavut being transferred back to the Northwest Territories, it is a one-time fund. A drop of about $35 million was the amount we were given and told that, in fact, it was not all to do with fuel or POL products.

We were told this afternoon that further questions in this area should be given to the Department of the Financial Management Board Secretariat, so I will start with that one. In that one-time payment from Nunavut for assets, how much of that included the actual assets like fuel, gas for vehicles, for homes and so on? Thank you.

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, that is a piece of information that we just do not have with us right now. So I cannot even estimate exactly what the breakout would be.

Mr. Roland,

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have one Minister say he could not do it and he was told to make the Financial Management Board respond to that, and the Minister of the Financial Management Board was in the House at the time, so hopefully they would have put something together in that area.

Gladly, I would like to get some information as to how much of that one-time payment was actually to do with POL products, such as home heating oil, automotive fuels, because there was a specific reference when we were first told of this one-time payment, that it was referred to assets like fuel and so on. The only place I know of that would directly impact us would be in our tank farms throughout the Northwest Territories under POL.

So I asked for that information and if the Minister doesn't have it, then I would request that he provide it. Thank you.

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, this afternoon, when the question was asked with regard to POL and so on, I thought it was more in relation to privatization. I did not realize I was expected to have this detailed information. So I apologize for not having it.

But the $35 million that you are referring to, is a bottom-line figure and to arrive at that $35 million, there is a lot of trading back and forth in order to balance out and to ensure that these are properly divided.

Fuel was mentioned more in a sense of being one example of what makes up that $35 million. There are other things, in terms of trades payable, accounts payable and so that will all come into play to arrive at that bottom-line $35 million figure. It takes some work to work backwards on exactly what all makes up this amount. Thank you.

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I would like to have that information and hopefully it will come in the near future, knowing that we are breaking after tomorrow for quite a spell.

On the other area, though, I would like to know from the Minister of the Financial Management Board Secretariat, what is the procedure when it comes to departments reallocating dollars, either from within departments or else to other departments? What is the limit? And how is notification made? Thank you.

Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, we will have the information that the Member is requesting tomorrow morning, in terms of the breakout of the $35 million as closely as we can.

With regard to the second question, Ministers have the authority to transfer funds between activities. Certainly, within activities and between activities and there isn't a limit on how much they can transfer but if there are transfers being made, then any amount over $250,000 must be reported at each session of the Legislative Assembly. So anything over $250,000, we will provide a report on it and there will be a report filed on that tomorrow.

Now, when it comes to capital, and I think there was some confusion on that one as well, where there is a new capital project over $250,000 and it is only for the new capital projects, then the responsible Minister has to consult, in writing, with the affected MLA or MLAs and the appropriate standing committees. But that is in reference to new capital projects. On the other transfers between activities within activities, there is not a limit but there is a reporting requirement. Thank you.

Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What are the procedures after we have voted this amount? First of all for further clarity for new Members, what is an activity level and item level, as we voted in? It is required in the FAA that you voted in by activity. What is considered an activity in your definition? Thank you.

Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, under the FAA the Legislative Assembly basically votes the appropriation bill based on the votes for operations and maintenance and for capital and also by item. Item means department, essentially. That is the way it is voted in the Legislative Assembly.

When it comes to activities, activities are those major areas of responsibility. They are what we are going through in the department. If you take the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, for example, the one that I am most familiar with, as an activity would be forest management, resources and wildlife, environmental protection. Those are each an activity. That is where there is authority for a Minister to move money. In fact, it could be delegated to a deputy minister to move money. For example, from forest management into the wildlife section or vice versa, if the amount is over the $250,000 it has to be reported back.

I do not think there is any violation of the authority within the act or even in principle with the Legislative Assembly. In fact, in reality what the Legislative Assembly authority is and how we, in this Assembly are voting, we are doing it at the vote and the item level. I do not know if you want to add anything more, Mr. Voytilla. I think that is basically it. Thank you.