Mr. Chair, I can respond to that.
Pay operations for the current system are within the responsibilities of PSPC, and my colleague is working on the NextGen pay model. We're working in very close collaboration, but this is an ongoing project, as members know. We are pleased with the progress we have been making. The backlog for pay transactions peaked in 2018, and we're at a point now that is 63% below that peak, so progress is being made. The service standards on new intake are being met 80% of the time. We want to do even better than that. We want to get above 90%, so that we are on top of the new intake of pay transactions as they come in.
Thankfully, the number of transactions with significant financial implications for employees has dropped dramatically. That was once at 13% of our caseload, the urgent escalations. That's now down to about 1%, so there is definite progress being made. Over the course of the next couple of years, we want to drive that backload right down to what would be a normal load of work on the shelf. That is certainly the objective, and to have a better client experience as part of that.