Just quickly to conclude the issue of the evaluation process framework and the interest of the committee to see that work, we could commit to share that information and get feedback so that we can design the best evaluation framework possible. We will work with the folks from program review as well, since we want to be consistent as we do our evaluations across government.
The issue of IT costs is a difficult one. One of the biggest issues, of course, is the short life cycles that a lot of the equipment has. I’m one of the older Members here. I come from the days when they still used Telex; they didn’t have faxes initially. We definitely have invested significantly in all the new developments. It’s a discussion that is consistently challenging for us. We are very dependent on the systems we have for their efficiencies and the time and ability to respond in very fast turnaround fashion.
For example, with e-mail the expectation is that you can correspond with people, and you want an answer within minutes of sending the e-mail. You’re hoping that somebody has looked at it and you’re going to get some type of response, whereas in the old days you’d have to write an old fashioned letter and stick it in the mail.
There are costs to the speed and timeliness. That discussion, as the Member said, can be like quicksand. It’s an investment that has to be sustained and maintained.