Mr. Speaker, the late shows, as they are referred to here among us, generally follow on questions asked in question period, and the issues raised around the RCMP are not related to the question that generated this opportunity to have a follow-up question. I will ensure that the member opposite gets a response from the minister responsible. Those specifics, while not dealt with in the original question, have emerged subsequent to the conversations and deserve a clear response.
In relation to the Phoenix pay system, we know the ongoing problems have caused unacceptable hardships for hard-working and good people in the public service, including our families, in many cases. Our government has been taking action on this complicated file and we will continue to do so until all employees are paid accurately and fairly for the work they have done, every time. This is the minister's top priority.
I would like to also take this opportunity to update the House on the significant progress that has been made to stabilize the Phoenix system. Public Services and Procurement Canada is working with the Treasury Board Secretariat as they focus on options for the next generation of the human resources pay system.
The Auditor General's report states that this issue began because the scope and complexity of pay transformation was vastly underestimated. As well, system functionality, testing and training were de-scoped in order to save money. In other words, the previous government saved money on the backs of public servants. This is unconscionable. It did this to meet timelines and balance its budget, not to make sure people were paid properly. Indeed, the report confirms that what we have long maintained on this issue is true.
We have taken steps to immediately implement the Auditor General's recommendations by strengthening policy instruments, governance structures and project management approaches around government-wide information technology initiatives. We will improve training, become engaged earlier and analyze project trends and issues more deeply as we go forward.
ln addition, we have implemented measures to stabilize the pay system and reduce the backlog of late transactions and wait times for missing pay. These measures are well aligned with the recommendations made by the Auditor General. I want to briefly elaborate on these measures. Increased capacity and improved service are two of the key accomplishments. With the funding provided by budget 2018 of $431.4 million over six years to continue to address pay challenges, we have increased the number of employees at the pay centre and regional offices to more than 1,500 public servants. That is more than double the number of compensation advisers since Phoenix was launched.
ln addition, our government continues to roll out the pay pod delivery model. This is critically important. This new system allows us to group models together for compensation advisers and compensation assistants assigned to specific departments or agencies. These teams work cohesively to process current intake within the effective pay period, while also working through the backlog and addressing outstanding cases in an employee's file. This is in contrast to the previous approach of the last government, which was to address pay issues on a transaction-by-transaction basis.
Our model provides better service to employees in departments and agencies served by the pay centre and is starting to show positive results. Since January of 2018, the number of transactions waiting to be processed in departments and agencies served by pay pods have decreased by over 160,000 individual claims.