MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, usually when a piece of legislation comes before the House of Assembly we reserve our questions for the debate and committee stages. However, today, government will move forward with Bill 1, An Act Respecting The Care And Protection Of Children And Youth, a topic that has been raised many times in this House of Assembly and of vital importance to the people of the Province. So, Mr. Speaker, we will ask some questions regarding that bill during Question Period today.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard many stories over the past several years related to tragedy involving children in our Province, the most public being the death of Zachary Turner. I ask the minister today: How will the new legislation ensure that we have greater protections for children like Zachary Turner in the future?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is difficult, I guess, in a couple of seconds or in a minute to try to outline what safeguards and why we think this new legislation is progressive.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that we can speak about in this new legislation is that we have expanded the criteria for protection intervention – one, being the risk of emotional harm.

The other thing that we brought in that I guess would be significant in the Zachary Turner case and as well recommended in the Turner report that we received in 2006 was to bring in criteria when we are doing a risk assessment regarding propensity towards violence and be able to use in our risk assessment whether or not a person killed or allegedly killed another person. So, in essence, that type of information that we would now use when we screen in a case through protective intervention would certainly be different from what we used since 2000 and, I think, will give us a better idea of how to actually assess risk in some of these cases.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We raised the issue of children being housed in local hotels and apartment complexes under the supervision of people without the proper training to often deal with their complex emotional and behavioural issues.

I ask the minister: Will this legislation ensure that caregivers have the appropriate levels of training and supports to deal with these children’s issues?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That is certainly an interesting question by the Leader of the Opposition, but this legislation will not address that level of operational work that happens in the field. The work that we will be doing as a department to focus on residential options for children, which should include foster homes, therapeutic foster homes, or residential services if there are specialized needs, will be developed and we will do a continuum of care.

This legislation, in and of itself, will not dictate or prescribe the types of residential options that we will need as a department. Because it is not included in the legislation in no way belittles or demeans that type of work. It is extremely important work that we need to do. There is certainly noted a lack of foster homes in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is something, as a new department, that we need to address in the upcoming year so that we have available to us the necessary options that we need when a child comes into the care and custody of this particular department.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Amanda Duggan was a babysitter who lost access to her own children after allegations were made that she harmed a child who was in her care. Charges were never laid and no evidence was provided that she was responsible for harming a child, yet months went by without her being allowed full access to her own children.

I ask the minister today: Under the new legislation, how will the process be improved so that people like Amanda Duggan and her children are protected against extended delays in resolving these types of matters?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One thing that this particular bill does - and whether or not it pertains, I guess, to any particular, or any individual’s case in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I prefer not to discuss any individual cases here in the House of Assembly. What this bill will do will reduce the number of temporary custody orders that a child would have to go through in the court in order for continuous custody or a return to the family home actually happens.

So, at this point in time, Mr. Speaker, one thing that we noted in the current legislation that we work under, a child or a youth could actually be in the custody and go through a number of temporary court orders for temporary custody for up to twenty-four months. This new legislation will roll that back so that the longest period of time that a child will be going through these temporary orders would be eighteen months.

I think, Mr. Speaker, that is certainly progress for the children in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, we also asked questions about a house fire in Labrador that the took the life of a boy who was under the protection of the child welfare system in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, where concerns were reported to authorities before that tragic night but were not properly investigated.

I ask the minister: Are there any improvements related to the investigation function that will ensure that complaints are followed up and fully reviewed once they are brought forward by concerned citizens?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, what is important to note, whether we talk about any case in Newfoundland and Labrador, is that when a complaint or a referral is made to Child, Youth and Family Services in relation to the fact that a child has been abused or is at risk of being abused or maltreated, that each and every referral has to be followed up. That has nothing to do with the new legislation. That is how the work is done and how it needs to be done in Newfoundland and Labrador.

What is important to note, Mr. Speaker, is that there are many referrals that come in but not necessarily all these children who are referred or who may have suffered any type of abuse come in and actually go on a protection intervention caseload or go into temporary care after the initial assessment and go into a foster placement. So, Mr. Speaker, there is a whole range of options or things that can happen once the referral is made but I want to stress that any referral that comes into the department that makes any referrals or says there is any potential abuse, that each and every referral has to be acted upon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to ask the minister: Under this particular legislation, once the manager makes a decision is there a mechanism in place to allow for an appeal to that decision?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader, and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, there are I guess a number of options as a case moves through probably from the time of a referral until potentially a continuous custody order or an adoption, and there are many ranges of activities that happen at any point in between. What can happen is that if things change or there are significant changes at any point in the case, whether it is under a temporary order or a continuous custody order prior to an adoption that the case can be reopened and referred back and decisions can be changed or rescinded based on the new information.

It is also noted that in this new act that it will be incumbent upon managers that we have a process available that allows us to review the cases of all our children who are in care or in custody or continuous custody of the department. That is important, Mr. Speaker, because we need to be able to make sure that once children become wards or go into continuous custody, that we do not forget about those cases. We need to ensure that there is ongoing monitoring and review to make sure that the permanency planning and the plan of care and how we treat these children never falls through the cracks.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister says that there is a mechanism here, or the process of a continuous review by the department. Is that what she is referring to in terms of the care plans that are being put in place for each of the individual children? Is that the process you are referring to here?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I guess it gets into somewhat of the detail within the department, how a social worker manages a case. A plan of care, which is outlined in the new legislation, will be provided to the courts regarding each child that comes under the protective intervention caseload. In addition to that plan of care, there will also be a review to review those plans of care, plus the ongoing case work that is going to be for children who are in temporary or continuous custody of the department.

Mr. Speaker, what that particularly means is that we no longer will have children who become wards in continuous custody, that their cases are closed, they are no longer reviewed or monitored. It will be incumbent that we continue to have an appropriate review process set up so that if there is any significant developments or anything that needs to happen with that particular case, that, as I said before, it does not fall through the cracks and that we are continuously reviewing these cases, updating them, and making sure that we serve the best interest of the child.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister did indicate that under the legislation there was a process whereby a case can be reopen or rescinded, but I would just like to clarify: Is there a process whereby once a manager makes a decision that there is an automatic appeal mechanism open to these individuals?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader, and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, in this particular legislation or with regard to any families that are involved with Child, Youth and Family Services, as we go through temporary custody orders or through continuous custody, there is a court process attached. Families have access to lawyers and go through the court process, and a social worker within the department, or a manager, would present a particular plan of care and a plan to the courts. It is then the court’s decision, basically, to decide what would be the most appropriate for a child in any given circumstance. The family or the parents would have access to appeal any decisions through the court process and through their lawyers, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the problems, previously, with the legislation was that once a child went into care, the plan of care was completed – the same as what is being proposed today – but not necessarily followed up on or updated or often adhered to, because there was no provision in the act to carry through with the process. Under section 81 of the new act it requires that the minister undertake a mandatory process to monitor these children.

I ask the minister: When will this be done and what will be put in place to ensure that the necessary due diligence is completed?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, that is an extremely important part of this new act, because we can no longer have a situation where we have plans of care that are being developed that are not being followed. We have outlined more definitively within the new act that we will be debating today, the outline for the plan of care. We will also be ensuring that we have a more appropriate internal audit function within this department to help us assess cases and get the appropriate feedback we need to either refine policies or develop new policies.

Mr. Speaker, the whole process of how we are going to monitor and review these cases is not yet defined. It will be defined in policy but it will be incumbent upon us a department to ensure that that process is in place because this whole new department is set up for one reason, and that is to make sure that we serve the children of Newfoundland and Labrador and we keep the best interests of the child at heart at all times.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I certainly agree with the minister, that this is one of the critical components of the new legislation and I guess it is the reason why I fail to understand why there is no process of monitoring outlined directly in the legislation and why it is being left to the minister to undertake at a later date?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, the whole process to ensure that we monitor and review these cases needs to be developed, and it can be developed in policy as we move forward. As we say that, there is also other functions and other review functions that are happening within the department that we will need to do hand in hand. One is making sure we have the policies developed that are reflective of the legislation and it is also ensuring that as we move forward with the audit unit – which will be a very different component as to what we have right now with our quality managers spread across the different regions. As we develop that we will certainly be in a better way to make sure that we understand what we are able to audit, review and analyze and what types of information we need to effectively review the cases that we have of the children, whether in temporary or continuous custody.

Mr. Speaker, until we start developing the policy and bringing it together, we will not be able to define the review process at this time. If down the road the review process is written and it is in policy and if it needs to be amended into legislation so that it is set up a certain way, we will certainly do that. Mr. Speaker, as it stands right now, the legislation gives the minister and the department the discretion to develop that policy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: I guess the only concern that I have is because it is such a critical component of the new legislation and the new act, is: Why, minister, would the department not see it necessary to have this as part of the legislation and have done this work previous to bringing the bill to the House of Assembly?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question, because it certainly lies in the fact that right now we are developing this legislation, we have it developed, and we are debating it, but there are other functions going on as we build this new department and as we build the policies and the processes that need to be followed for us to deliver the appropriate services in the Province.

One of those processes, as I outlined, is certainly the way that we are going to perform an audit or a quality control function within the department. At this point in time, as we develop that unit and the policies attached to that, we will be in a better position to further define how we will review the cases.

There is still significant work that needs to be done with this review process. If it was completely written and defined today, I would have no problem outlining it, explaining it, but there is a significant piece of work that still needs to be done.

What is important, Mr. Speaker, is that this government recognizes that that review function is absolutely necessary and it is not a paper function, it is not something that is going to look good on paper, it is going to be something that is real to this service delivery and something we can follow through on and gives us the results we need.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I understand from the minister’s comments as well that there will be an audit group within the department that will review case files on permanent and of temporary placed children.

I ask the minister: Why wasn’t this audit requirement placed in the legislation as a means of continuous quality control?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, quality control and ensuring that we do a good job is certainly paramount in any type of government service, and many departments have what would be referred to as auditors or internal auditors to review the work.

Mr. Speaker, we do have quality control managers as it exists right now in the regional health authorities tied to Child, Youth and Family Services. I am not convinced that we have the appropriate set-up to give us the best possible results that we can get from these services. When we look back at the report written by Susan Abell in 2009, the Clinical Services Review, when she did an audit across Newfoundland and Labrador of approximately 400 files we had a far better report sometimes than what we received from individual cases being reviewed.

Once we set up our internal audit system and the people, and they work together, we will certainly be able to use that group of workers then to help us identify shortfalls whether it be in policy with individual workers, teams, areas or, Mr. Speaker, be able to examine trends across Newfoundland and Labrador to help us further refine our policies. I think we certainly need to define that group, how they are going to work and, in turn, that will help us determine our scope of work as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, section 80 of the new legislation requires that the minister conduct a statutory review of this act every five years.

I ask the minister: How will this statutory review take place and will it be through public consultation, an internal review process or some other method?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, the intent of having the statutory review every five years ensures that the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, under this legislation, are able to review best practices across Canada and within the Province, we are able to examine other legislation that has been active, whether in Canada or in other countries, to make sure we are current.

Mr. Speaker, I would anticipate that any real statutory review of these services would mean a review of the most current research and literature in this field, it would examine other pieces of legislation and it would engage stakeholders because, sometimes, we go back to the current legislation, some of it looks wonderful on paper, but if it is not operational in the field it is really not worth the paper it is written on. So, we would certainly have to consult with stakeholders and there would be an internal review as well because, sometimes, the people from within the system who have to work under the legislation and the policies are able to give us some very valuable feedback.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the department has completed any assessment of the number of social workers or other individuals that will be required in order to carry out the new legislation that is being enacted today.

At the same time, I would ask the minister if the vacancies in social work in the Province have been filled because we know that some positions are harder to fill than others, and if government has a strategy to address that in light of the fact that we are introducing some very new legislation here.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, again, a very important question that was asked by the Leader of the Opposition. As a parallel piece of work, as we have been creating the new department, we have also had to look at a new organizational chart because, right now, we have all of our workers in different organizational charts in regional health authorities. We also had to develop an organizational chart that reflects the line department of government. As we develop that organizational chart, at the same time developing the legislation, we are probably in a better position to determine the number of resources that we need to be able to assign effective caseloads to the front-line staff as well as the number of supervisors we need.

When we did the full scope of the new organization chart, in light of the new legislation and based on our budget this year, we feel that we are probably short about twenty-seven positions in the department and we were funded in this year’s Budget to be able to create those positions as we roll out the new organizational chart and begin to implement the new legislation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would assume that new organizational chart will soon be available to the public. I do not think it has been released yet, to my understanding.

Mr. Speaker, the minister also confirmed this morning that the legislation would not be proclaimed for at least another year. I ask the minister: Why the delay and what will be done in the meantime to address the gaps in the current legislation and the child protection system?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, this is a very exciting week for people who work in the area of Child, Youth and Family Services to see this new legislation. This took a long time to develop. We met with numerous stakeholders. We have social workers, who helped us in focus groups, here today to be part of this process and to see how it unfolds.

Mr. Speaker, what is important is that when we enact this legislation, when we proclaim it and we begin to work under this act, a number of processes have to be in order. One is the policies need to be reviewed or developed or refined that reflect the legislation. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, we also have to update our training programs for social workers to ensure that they are trained and they understand so when this legislation is proclaimed that people are ready to work under it. This is not a race against time to make sure we get it in as quick as we can, this is for us to ensure that we do our work, we do what is necessary, and when it comes in, it not only serves the children of Newfoundland and Labrador, but the people who have to work under this legislation day in and day out are prepared with the appropriate policies and training to do just that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister also stated that the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services was still in the process of being fully established and transitioning would still be taking place for a period of time.

I ask the minister: When will the department finally be established?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, anybody who understands organizational change realizes that it takes quite a bit of time in order to do a full change of an organization. We have spent the first year looking at staffing, organizational chart, the logistics of doing a transition, developing the new legislation. Mr. Speaker, I anticipate that later this month, or certainly in July, we will start the transition of one of the regional health authorities into the new department and throughout the fiscal year, Mr. Speaker, each and every regional health authority should transition so that the employees become employees of the department, as opposed to the regional health authorities.

So, Mr. Speaker, as I said, the organizational chart has been developed. It has not been released publically yet because we are still, certainly, introducing it to the staff, and staff who may see some changes in their positions. As we roll that out and the workers come into the new department that should take us through this fiscal year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week, the federal government announced its $35 billion shipbuilding strategy. One of the shipyards considered to be a contender for some of this work is the Marystown Shipyard. Since 2006, Marystown has been lobbying the provincial government for financial help to build a graving dock, which would improve the town’s chances of winning these contracts. They have met with three successive business ministers, their two local MHAs, Cabinet apparently looked at this as early as 2006, four years ago, and yet we do not have any commitment on this issue.

I ask the minister: Is government willing to provide financial support to build a graving dock at Marystown, and when can the people of Marystown expect a definitive answer on this subject?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Business.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week, we joined people from Newfoundland and Labrador with some delight as we celebrate the federal government’s announcement of an opportunity for Marystown to be involved in a very competitive process that we believe they will be successful in to secure some of the shipbuilding work that will be moving forward in the next – well, government’s announcement I think is a thirty-year plan.

We believe that Marystown is well positioned to be able to secure some of that work. They have a history of doing some fine work. They have tremendous potential. They have a great infrastructure in place. Yes, they have had some discussions with our government around financial support that they may need if they are successful in picking up that business and we have had some discussion with them about what that might look like, the level of support that government might be prepared to help them with.

Depending on what comes out of this process, this competitive process they are engaged in now, they will need to more accurately define the kind of need that they have and the kind of infrastructure improvements that they will need to have to make sure they are able to carry out the work that they will be successful in getting. We have indicated to them that we want to work with them on that. We want to make sure that they are well positioned to get that work and that the infrastructure should not be in a…

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this government persists in supporting deepwater exploratory offshore drilling, in spite of evidence that we could not deal with a blow out if one were to occur. Government instead is listening solely to industry rather than other voices with relevant experience, such as other governments, scientists and concerned citizens.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. government has declared a moratorium on exploratory offshore drilling. The President of the United States has said that until he can be satisfied that blow outs can be properly dealt with, it would be irresponsible of him to lift that moratorium.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why is his government bent on listening to oil companies instead of listening to other voices of experience?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, I watched with interest over the weekend, CNN, just to see the effects and the reaction from people in the Gulf. It indeed is a very, very sad situation when you talk about the effects on the environment, the effects on the fishery, the effects on the tourism industry, but also interested in seeing the other side and some of the complaints now coming from people who are no longer employed as a result of the oil industry.

So, there are two sides to the equation. With the moratorium, of course, the oil industry gets shut down. So not only is there employment lost in the fishery, in the tourism side, there is also employment lost on the industry side as well as the essential revenues that do come to government in order to conduct and implement the many social programs that this government has been very proud of, poverty reduction, our health initiatives, our education initiatives.

If I may say, and if I may just have a moment. Over the course of last week – I was actually in Calgary last week and had the opportunity to have extensive meetings with Husky and with Chevron. I spent a considerable amount of time, together with Ed Martin, the CEO of Nalcor, cross-examining, for want of a better term, Chevron on exactly what they were doing and what initial procedures were taking place. I did satisfy myself at that time that not only was this company exceptional on the safety side, that they were in fact implementing a lot of safeguards even before the Gulf of Mexico happened. I also asked them to elaborate for me on what additional measures have been put in place and actually in the process of preparing a list and would only be too delighted to provide a list of the safeguards that were in place, the additional safeguards that are being put in place, as well as their interpretation and their reaction to the safeguards that have been put in place by the C-NLOPB in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources.

So, Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I am satisfied after some very, very serious questioning that a lot of extra things and precautions are being done in the Atlantic.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I do appreciate the fact that the Premier was in Calgary last week and seems to have gotten additional information. I would be delighted to receive a list of what he learned out there, especially if it adds to what we learned from C-NLOPB last week and it sounds like there may be more. Mr. Speaker, all the oversight in the world does not change the fact that technology to deal with an oil spill in the Orphan Basin is limited and experimental and drill ships contracted in the Gulf of Mexico in case of a blow out is an insufficient measure.

So I ask the Premier: Why wouldn’t he take a leadership role with the C-NLOPB in demanding at least the drilling of a relief well during the exploratory phase to protect us in case of a blow out?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, any government is in a very difficult position in a situation like this because we do have to strike that delicate balance between risk and reward, for want of a better term. This government has been very, very vigilant and diligent in looking at what is being done, the extensive list of procedures and training procedures, redundancy initiatives that are being undergone by the Chevron group.

In addition, with regard to relief wells, I specifically asked if any rigs had been identified from the Gulf of Mexico or from anywhere else, in order to dig the necessary relief wells. I was told categorically that two rigs had been identified, that they would be available for relief wells.

I think from the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi’s perspective, that if in fact we demand at this point in time that additional rigs be put on site, the cost will probably not double but they will increase dramatically and we will probably end up terminating any further exploration in the Orphan Basin out of deep water. I think the trade off for that, if we take the billions of dollars that could be lost, would the loss in social benefits and social programs for the Province and I think that is a risk that we are…

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allotted for questions and answers has expired.