Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that candidates must have completed high school and attain a 65 percent average in English, math, social studies and one core subject. This equates to a passing mark of a C in all subjects on a sliding scale, with A being the highest and D just above a failing grade.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the Minister if he feels that a grade C in a high school subject is adequate to properly diagnose and determine treatment for eye care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am having difficulty with that question, Mr. Delorey. It appears that you are asking the Minister's opinion on a level of education. Perhaps you would like to rephrase that. Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of those answers may come out in the Minister's information that he is going to supply to my first question. Mr. Speaker, I previously stated that a constituent who is a senior was required to purchase a second pair of bifocal glasses as a direct result of an incorrect prescription being given by an ophthalmic technician who examined the patient in Hay River.

Would the Minister please state if his department would consider reimbursing this senior citizen for their second pair of lenses upon receipt of documentation to this effect? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I could get the particulars from the Member, once we are finished in this House, I will commit to having the matter reviewed. We will check out the information and I will discuss with the Member what the alternatives are. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the ophthalmologist travels to the communities three or four times a year. Given the myriad of problems outlined with ophthalmic technicians performing eye exams in the communities, especially with senior citizens, would the Minister please advise if he would give consideration to the ophthalmologist travelling to the communities more often in order to properly diagnose and treat our residents, in particular, our senior citizens? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, very clearly, the Health and Social Services system places a very high priority on providing quality service. The Member has raised two particular issues for his constituency, which I take as serious matters.

I would also like to presume and assume that the vast majority of examinations go well and that there is, for the most part, a high quality service being currently provided. As well, we are looking at the level of services across the health and social services system across the Northwest Territories. This particular service will be one of the service areas that will be looked at as we move towards developing a service delivery model. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice, and as I have said in my Member's statement, I would like to thank the Minister for providing us with this interim report on family violence legislation.

The Minister indicated that he is hoping to have results of more research and the feasibility of family violence legislation in the Northwest Territories back by June 2002. My concern with this is that this may not leave us enough time to pass this legislation during the 14th Assembly.

I wanted to ask the Minister, can he tell me if there is any way we can get this information back earlier? Or if, in fact, he can put such a priority on this legislation that we could see it introduced in the June session? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Justice, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is incumbent upon the department to take a very close look at the feasibility of introducing family violence legislation. We have developed a work plan, Mr. Speaker, to try to speed up the research and the amount of work that is involved in compiling that level of information.

We are committed, Mr. Speaker, to try to move as fast as we can on this piece of legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, indicated in the information that the Minister provided were tools that could be used to assist victims of family violence. In some other jurisdictions, they have something called an emergency intervention order, which does things like restrain the abuser from communicating with or contacting the victim or members of the victim's family. It gives the victim exclusive occupation of the home. It directs a peace officer to remove the abuser from the home, seize weapons, and accompany the abuser to the home to retrieve personal belongings, measures such as this.

We have indications that our shelters are filled to capacity and turning quite a number of victims away. I wanted to ask the Minister, is there any way we could adopt any interim measures prior to legislation being completed and passed that would assist police officers and social workers in dealing with victims of family violence? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Justice, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our intention is to work with the agencies involved in the overall process to identify the level of service we can provide in the interim. Our intention then, Mr. Speaker, is to promote the message that family violence is a serious concern. Also, it is a cost to our justice system, so we certainly want to evaluate the cost. There is also a hidden cost, so we like to keep that in mind while we try to provide some level of security and safe communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a tremendous upheaval to families, most often women and children, when they need to travel from their home communities to reside temporarily in shelters. I would like to ask the Minister, does he support the concept of the abusers being removed from the homes and allowing the victims and children of family violence to in fact stay in their homes and in their home communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Madam Groenewegen, the question sort of suggests you are seeking an opinion of the honourable Minister. I will allow you to rephrase that, if you would. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister bring forward legislation that would enable women and children who are victims of family violence to retain occupation of the family home, and change our policy so that it would be the abuser that is removed from the home and community, not the abused? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Justice, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to try to reply in the context of the question here. The victim's safety and support is one of the most important requirements considering the family violence legislation, so certainly in that aspect, we will respond to that. Thank you.