Information & Ethics committee  Exactly, but unfortunately, because the main estimates for 2007-2008 are due to Treasury Board in the middle of November and haven't passed, we cannot anticipate the costs.

Information & Ethics committee  The total increase for this year is 8%, 10% of which is for the MOUs. We have a 2% overall reduction in operation costs, which brings our request down to an 8% increase and not a 10% increase.

Information & Ethics committee  Basically, in the table in the letter that we did provide earlier in the month of October, we rated our budget as compared to those of the other agents of Parliament. Our budget requirements were in the lower range when compared to the other agents of Parliament. Again, there are some reasons for their activities and our activities, but from the information we were able to obtain from the main estimates and the requests that other agents were seeking, we were able to come up with the numbers and clearly state that we are in the range of other organizations.

Information & Ethics committee  Basically, we were asking for an 8% increase. Had we maintained the same operational requirements, we would have had a 10% increase due to the MOUs. Instead of asking for a full 10% increase, what we ended up doing was to adjust our numbers for the operations. We reduced our operations by 2%, which brought the total percentage down to 8% instead of 10%.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. In the 2006-07 main estimates that were brought forward by Treasury Board, in that big brick that they table, you have the details--budgetary main estimates by standard object of expenditure--and in there, under Parliament of Canada, we have the Office of the Ethics Commissioner, which clearly, line by line, states how much we are anticipating on spending.

Information & Ethics committee  It's part of the main estimates that were brought forward to this committee with regard to our budgets.

Information & Ethics committee  Basically, the organizational structure states that we have 34 employees, but we also have some people who are seconded within the office. They are not actually accounted for in the structure itself, but they are working within the office. There are three of those, plus there are student salaries as well that are included there.

Information & Ethics committee  Unpaid overtime that has to be paid. Staff do overtime. If they accumulate time off and at the end of the fiscal year they don't have time to use it, then we have to pay it out.

Information & Ethics committee  The economic increase is 2.5%.

Information & Ethics committee  Last year we spent about $112,000 in legal services. That was the amount for judicial advice provided by lawyers.

Information & Ethics committee  We spent $112,000 outside our office, which is very reasonable. As I said, the major amount was for the House of Commons IT support services to the office, which was $300,000-plus.

Information & Ethics committee  Basically, the 2006 figure that you see there is for the 2005-06 fiscal year, so that was last year. This year's budget has been adjusted for this year. Basically, the difference between the two years is because, as you will note, there's $1,200,000 just in salaries. In terms of the 2005 figure, I don't know if you remember, but there was a transitional period for the office at that point in time and we went down to about 12 to 15 employees; therefore, the salary budget was not as required as it was last year.