Thank you. I will not be able to recall everything that Mr. Voytilla has said here, but I think he indicated there had been a lot of discussion prior to this point but no approval of the detail, just sort of a blanket, general approval, go out and spend some money and when you figure out the details and add it up after the fact, we will approve it. If this money was being spent before there was any approval of the detail, it is really sort of permission after the fact, or forgiveness after the fact. It does not seem to me, and I do not know how it typically works, that you can just have a lot of discussions, approve things in principle, go out and spend the money and then come back, tally up the costs and say, "There are the details. We approved the details of the spending" and the official approval of FMB then goes ahead. It seems to me that you should have approval of the detail before you spend the money, even if you think you might be able to keep it within the appropriation. What if this had ended up being $7 million worth of spending? Maybe that is not realistic but I do not know how you could just sort of make a best-guess stab at something, hope it comes in under the amount allocated for the appropriation and spend away, Mr. Chair.
Brendan Bell on Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on November 6th, 2001. See this statement in context.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
November 5th, 2001
Page 688
See context to find out what was said next.