Public Accounts committee  I'll tell you what the consequences are. Managers have accountabilities up the line. That's the way the system works. They're expected to do certain things. Certainly we take our security responsibilities very seriously. We have a section in the department that is responsible for ensuring that security clearances, both locally and for Canada-based staff, are kept up to date and so on.

Public Accounts committee  I think part of the problem here is an historical one that has to do with funding for language training particularly. It has tended to be one part of the department that has been easiest to cut whenever we've had budget cuts. So it is starved for resources, first of all. Second, as I think I explained, we are about to review each of these positions abroad to see to what extent the language requirements are still applicable.

Public Accounts committee  First of all, as a deputy, I believe the problem has to be fixed. Secondly, I don't think you go around fixing it by threatening to fire people because they haven't filled out these forms, and that sort of stuff. My purpose in sending out instructions is to regularize the situation and to ensure that all future hires are done the same, and that we look back at the records and make sure they are complete where they haven't been complete.

Public Accounts committee  Do you want a comment on that?

Public Accounts committee  That's what we are doing.

Public Accounts committee  Let me just say on a personal note, Mr. Chairman, that I am a foreign service officer and I've had six postings, and I have a spouse. I have heard this almost every day of my professional career. So personally I'm very much interested in dealing with the issue as best we can. There are a number of things we can do inside the department and have done inside the department to provide work counselling, to try to find jobs in the local marketplace where people are posted, to give training on how to find a job, to do all sorts of things like this.

Public Accounts committee  The way we're dealing with that is by regularizing people in acting positions. Regarding the process I described to you where we are looking at individuals who have been in acting positions and are confirming them at that grade, again the Public Service Commission has agreed that we can use this rather extraordinary method of doing so.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, if I may, as I said in a previous response, we have been able to reduce the number of actings by 30% over the last year. We have gone through an enhanced promotion process. We've put this system in place where all assignments are put through a group of managers who look at the issue of competencies and levels.

Public Accounts committee  We are taking steps to correct those shortcomings identified by the Auditor General. I can't deny that those shortcomings are there; the Auditor General found those shortcomings.

Public Accounts committee  We constantly remind our heads of mission and our people abroad to follow the regulations, which includes security checks and keeping the records up to date.

Public Accounts committee  I don't deny that what is in the Auditor General's report is what she and her staff found, but I can assure you that we are taking steps to correct it.

Public Accounts committee  We're doing a couple of things, one of which, of course is, as you say, that missions have been reminded of their responsibilities as managers of the staff to ensure that the practices that we insist upon and have insisted upon with respect to hiring qualified people, having the reliability checks done, records kept, and so forth, are followed.

Public Accounts committee  We're giving them no extra resources. This is part of the normal management of missions, and administrative sections working under the head of mission will need to do that work. It's a requirement, and we haven't given any special resources for that. That's part of their normal work.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, of course.

Public Accounts committee  Previously or now?