Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government has made a significant investment and will continue to make a significant investment in health and social services. In 1997 and 1998, the money allocated directly to health authorities was $113 million. This year it is $183 million. That is just the money that goes right off the top to the health authorities.

Mr. Speaker, there is a strong concern and commitment to dealing with addictions issues. In the North Slave the Dogrib budget went from $4.5 million up to $9.4 million this year, from 1997 and 1998. Do we have the answers to all the problems? No, we don't. Is everything a result of additions? No, it isn't, but it is a significant variable that affects and drives our costs.

We have talked about the issue of capital. This House well knows the limited capital dollars we have. It knows what money we have and what projects are on the books at present. We are governed by that plan and process. We are going to continue to make every effort to focus on the prevention side of dealing with issues like alcohol and drug addictions so that, in fact at the end of the day, down the road children will be born healthy and will have the best opportunity to lead a healthy productive life. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to phrase that in the past tense. We have been placing a significant amount of effort in the alcohol and mental health strategy, as we did with the midwifery legislation. Both are important pieces of the work we are doing. The alcohol and drug issue is one that has significant importance that has involved this House, it has involved the communities and will continue to involve all of us as we seek to do a better job on that very, very difficult issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question today is also for the Minister of Finance. It is about the government-wide implications of the revisions to the BIP and their implementations as of October 15th.

In a press release, I believe that RWED did announce the revisions in August, there was some discussion apparently about the current cost of BIP. I think the figure $10 million was used either by the Minister or by the deputy. I am wondering if that is, in fact, accurate, if the Minister of Finance has, in fact, reduced next year's budget by $10 million to take this into account now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware how the Minister or deputy minister of RWED may have arrived at the figure that they have. In terms of our forecast of expenditures, we have not reduced it by $10 million. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So no reduction in next year's budget to reflect this apparent savings we are going to get from BIP. Maybe then the Minister can tell me if we have added an additional $10 million worth of capital projects, because now we will have additional money that we can use. Is that what we have done next year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, no, we are still continuing to try to maintain a target of $50 million per year on capital projects as has been agreed to in terms of our business planning. We have gone through this with the Members, as well, so that has not changed. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Surely the $50 million in capital money we're going to spend next year that the Minister just referred to is going to go farther now, so we will be able to do additional capital projects because the money we will save from not having the old BIP. Can the Minister tell me how we have chosen to identify these great new projects that we are going to be able to build next year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, this government has prepared business plans for the next government. We have continued with the same basic principles that we have used for the last couple of years. One of those is $50 million a year in capital. That will be our recommendation to the next government. If the next government decides to spend more than $50 million on capital projects, then that is a decision they will make at that time. Mr. Speaker, I can't really project how they might spend any new money that they may want to invest in capital. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope you can appreciate that I am struggling here, Mr. Speaker, to find some sort of sense that the revisions to the BIP will have government-wide implications. I haven't seen them yet. Maybe the Minister can indicate if he has sent out a letter to departments asking them to adjust their capital requirements to take into account a 15 percent reduction in cost or a 10 percent reduction in cost or whatever the savings is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, am a little intrigued with the Member's link between the savings in BIP, which might be and which might not be, and some planning on the capital; why would there be a link between those two. If our government has savings or the next government has savings, then I am sure the Legislative Assembly at that time will determine whether to spend that money in capital or to spend it in O&M or to spend it somewhere else. I don't quite understand this direct link Mr. Bell is inferring would be there. Thank you.