Thank you. The Minister indicated that managers are always involved in discipline. I would assume he means in negotiating these types of termination contracts. I would agree with him. I would also agree that they typically would be signing these, not the Minister for the public service. I am wondering if this Minister for the public service can tell us, in his tenure as Minister, how many termination contracts he has been asked to sign? We have lost some other senior-level civil servants. There have been arrangements made. Presumably then, this Minister must have signed off on those as Minister for the public service, or are we talking about a single, isolated incident, the first in memory, that the Minister for the public service has ever had to sign off on a termination contract?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, for at pleasure appointments, the deputy ministers contracts and at pleasure appointments reporting to the Premier, the Premier in this government, in the past government, and I do not know about the one before that, has had that responsibility and retained that responsibility.

In terms of my role as the Minister for the public service, the responsibility for termination was in 1996, when my predecessor delegated it out to the deputy minister. I have not been involved in very many of the termination agreements and so on. That has been delegated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Bell.

Thank you. Luckily, Mr. Voytilla is here, who has a long corporate history with this government. I am wondering if he can tell us, since 1996, has the Minister for the public service, whether it be the Premier or whoever is acting in that capacity, have they ever signed off on a termination contract instead of having the deputy sign off on it?

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Mr. Voytilla.

Thank you, Mr. Voytilla. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On this supplementary appropriation under Cabinet Secretariat, I think with the motion we dealt with earlier, I would, for myself, look to waiting for the results of that motion being implemented. One question I do have before I move on to the next area of this supplementary appropriation is, we have heard the Minister state on the record that in the removal or termination, as Minister responsible for the public service and in that role when questioning about the exclusive responsibility of the Minister responsible for that act, that he felt there was conflict and, rightly so, stepped aside from it.

At the beginning, as that Minister for the public service has the exclusive responsibility for appointments, was he involved in that process?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, there are two ways this happens. One is the staffing or appointments. Appointments have been delegated to deputy ministers, deputy heads. The only other option is for direct appointments that are all done through Cabinet. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Was this done with these contracts we are referring to through this supp? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I will have to ask for the question again, sorry.

Mr. Roland, could you please restate your question?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Was the process followed for the two positions that are being terminated? Which process was used in their hiring? Was it Cabinet approval? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, both of the individuals were Cabinet approvals.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. For the record, the two hirings, there was a full Cabinet approval on the hiring of those positions and knowledge of the contracts put in place? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, it was Cabinet approval of their appointments, and then Cabinet approves them, as we said before, the at pleasure contracts, but all the detail is not something that Cabinet would become involved in. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.