Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member's quite correct; that for the vast majority of individuals accessing funding, debt collection isn't a problem. Most people do pay on time.
When the individual departments do counsel individuals who have debts, they tend to work out something that will work for the individual. We do the same thing once it comes to government accounting. All of the debts from across the government get consolidated there, except for those that are with boards and agencies. So all of the government's debts are with the government accounting, and the staff in government accounting then do try to contact the individual and work with the individual to establish a reasonable payment plan that matches their income as well as their debt. Generally speaking, we're successful in that. If we cannot, we then continue to pursue it. If the debt is under $5,000 and we're unsuccessful in setting up a repayment plan, it is referred to a collection agency. If it's a larger amount, more than $5,000, then we actually do that work ourselves over time.
So to answer the Member's questions, the debts are consolidated within government accounting. The staff in government accounting do work with individuals to set up a repayment plan that meet the individual's needs and reflect the debt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.