Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so I ask again, what exactly was his instruction to force this board to come up with a $600,000 surplus under their dire circumstances? What was his instruction, Mr. Speaker?

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

Mr. Speaker, for the sake of clarity, given that there are 31 minutes left, I will read the terms of reference that were passed out.

The guidelines for the preparation of deficit recovery plans, health and social services authority:

1. Accumulated deficits -- several Health and Social Services boards have accumulated deficits that were incurred prior to April 1, 2001. While some have received initial funding and/or taken action to reduce the deficits, the amount of the outstanding remains over $6 million. A proposal is under development that would result in the Department of Health and Social Services...

Excuse me, I am going to ask the honourable Minister if he has a very lengthy report to read, that he table that information, give a short answer, as per the House's rules. A short answer, Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have two pages. If the Speaker is of the opinion that it is too lengthy, I would be happy to table that. Let me just say that I will table this. That this was done in a careful, measured way, and hopefully it will go some small way to alleviate the overwhelming concern of the Member opposite. Thank you.

Thank you. Just for clarity, it is not the Speaker's ruling. It is the Speaker's advice. They are your rules about lengthy questions, lengthy answers in the effort to use as much of the question period as possible. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is also for the Minister of Health. I am wondering, given the closure of our ICU, it is conceivable that we will have to send folks south for emergency treatment, and likely have to get them into Alberta facilities. I am wondering, what happens when we do send our residents south? Do they end up being on the same waiting list as everybody else or are they at the back of the bus behind Alberta residents? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member attended a visit with me to the Capital Health Authority, and all the information I have indicates that in our contractual arrangements with the Capital Health Authority, we have a very good, almost immediate access, in many cases, to the services that we are contracted for. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would concur with that. I think we have excellent access to Capital Health facilities. What about other Alberta provincial facilities that do not come under the auspices of capital health? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of one instance, as is the Member, where we intended to access a resource outside of the Capital Health Authority. In fact, the reality was that the Alberta residents were given priority and we had to get in line and apply to access the program, but always at the risk of being bumped. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am wondering if this Minister would open up a dialogue with his counterpart in Alberta to see if we can have access to other Alberta facilities the same way we do with Capital Health facilities? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be prepared to make that contact to see what is possible outside of our specific contractual arrangement with the Capital Health Authority. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to request that the Minister send me some confirmation that he has in fact set up these meetings, so that I can see that it is being done in a timely manner? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to that as well. It is a matter of practice for myself to stay in very close contact with the chair of Social Programs. They are an integral part of any process to move changes ahead. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to resume my line of questioning with the Acting Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. I would phrase my questions to the Minister exactly as my constituent has put them. I will ask the Minister, why is it that income support policies do not allow families to meet even the most basic needs of their children? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.