The average period is 195 days. So people currently sit as full-time appeal officers, as it were. You're telling us that these people will be absorbed into the public service, since they will no longer be occupying those positions. However, if they refuse, since they were clearly doing this work on a full-time basis—am I to understand that they will be entitled to lay-off pay? And could the same public servants who can leave the public service with lay-off pay be appointed by the minister and thus occupy those positions, no doubt with greater compensation, and thus take advantage of the system? Even if there are only four or five individuals, I'm trying to see whether this merry-go-round can occur.
On May 5th, 2010. See this statement in context.